Biathlon: one last season before retirement for Emilien Jacquelin?
Back in February, in the middle of the biathlon world championships in Lenzerheide (Switzerland) and following a poor performance in the pursuit, Emilien Jacquelin from Dauphiné dropped a bombshell in the mixed zone.
These may be my last World Championships […],” he told Ski Chrono. I don’t know what I’ll do after the Games. […] If I don’t feel the will to go out and win titles or go all the way to the 2030 Olympics, there’s no point in trying too hard.”
“It won’t be a case of going on and on”.
This Wednesday afternoon, at an online press briefing organised on the occasion of the Font-Romeu (Pyrénées-Orientales) training camp, the two-time world pursuit champion confirmed, with a clear head, that the coming Olympic winter could well be his last.
After the Olympics, I don’t know what I’ll do,” Emilien Jacquelin told Nordic Magazine. I thought about it a lot during the off-season. […] To be honest, it will depend on my energy and how I approach each race this winter. Will I get bored at some point or not? I sincerely think that if there’s an Olympic title, you don’t necessarily have to go too far and try to force it. I’m open to anything, to other projects, to continuing or stopping. […] It takes a lot of will and commitment to prepare for biathlon, but I don’t want to do things half-heartedly. It won’t be a case of continuing for the sake of continuing.
The Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games in Antholz, a venue he loves, could be the ideal place for the 30-year-old Villardien to say farewell.
I believe in great stories,” he confirms. I’d love to shine at the Milan Games because I’m missing that individual medal, something that would make me very proud of my achievements. Team medals are also a real objective, because we have a group that stands out in men’s biathlon for its consistency and results. I really want to be part of that team.
