Biathlon | For Nordic Magazine, Océane Michelon takes stock of her 2024/2025 season: “The highlight of my winter was from January to March, I loved that period from A to Z”

Biathlon: Océane Michelon reports for Nordic Magazine

Last winter, in her first full season competing on the biathlon world cup, 23-year-old Océane Michelon from Savoie put in some exceptional performances. Fifth overall and winner of the trophy for the best U23, the biathlete from Lescheraines (Savoie) won consistently at the highest world level.

Also world champion in the relay and silver medallist in the mass start, Océane Michelon has had an almost idyllic 2024/2025. A few weeks after the end of the season, she agreed to give Nordic Magazine her assessment. Interview.

• When you look back on this fabulous season, marked by a World Cup podium, a world relay title, a world medal in the mass start and the trophy for the best U23, what do you think?

I tell myself that it was really great! Over and above the results, there was a lot of learning and development in the way I did things. It’s been great! I really enjoyed racing this winter. I was always working on each race, with the aim of improving for the next one, getting my bearings, and so on. Little by little, that helped me evolve.

• Was it difficult to stay within the framework you’ve just explained, without getting carried away?

At the start of the season, it took a lot of effort. At the time, we were making the cut for Le Grand-Bornand [after two stages of the World Cup with seven quotas, France only had six from this round onwards, editor’s note]. I’d got off to a pretty good start in Kontiolahti and, with a goal looming, it was difficult to maintain that pattern. After that, it was a lot easier from Oberhof onwards.

• That week in Thuringia was a real turning point in your season. Can you tell us why?

I arrived at the Oberhof stage feeling sick and unsure about racing. In the end, on the morning of the sprint, Cyril [Burdet] and I decided that I would take the start, but without any objective result. He said to me: “Given the form of the previous days, we’re not expecting any miracles, so just do what you know how to do, no more and no less, and we’ll see about the rest. I was far from being in the best conditions, but I took advantage of the chance I had to be at the start – which was far from being the case a few days earlier – to enjoy myself. It was the very first race where I wasn’t expecting anything at all. I focused on my shooting and my skiing, and it went really well, with a flower ceremony! This week, in this context, has given me a huge amount of experience.

• Did you realise at the time that something interesting was happening?

Looking back on my winter, I feel there was a real moment of transition from that stage and that experience. It gave me a lot of experience in how to approach competitions and how to live them. I don’t know if I’ve really turned a corner, but something changed from that moment on.

• You went on to give one superb performance after another. Were you surprised by this sequence?

I wasn’t expecting this at all! At the start of the winter, my aim was to go to Le Grand Bornand and do as many stages as possible. I’d said to myself that it would be cool to do some top 10s, so it was really nice to be on the flowers and on the podium. Once you know you’ve been able to do something, you like to go back for more! At the end of each race, I thought how cool it was. What’s more, we were all sharing it together!

• Was your world silver medal in the mass start your greatest moment of the winter?

It’s strange, because I’ve had a lot of great moments this winter [laughs]! Of course, this medal is one of the most beautiful and great moments, but there were also a lot of emotions with the relay title. As well as winning my first title, it was the fact that I won it as part of a team, making France double world champions. The World Championships were very strong. But, overall, the highlight of my winter was from January to March, I loved that period from A to Z, with lots of little peaks.

• You finished the winter as the best U23 rider, but above all fifth overall in your first full World Cup season…

It’s really great! If someone had offered me this at the start of the season, I would have signed at the bottom of the page! It’s also great to realise that there are five of us in the top ten in the overall rankings.

• How did the internal battle with Jeanne Richard for the U23 trophy, which you won in the last race, go?

I thought it went really well. From Le Grand-Bornand onwards, there was a quartet that stood out with Jeannette [Jeanne Richard, editor’s note], Selina [Grotian], Maren [Kirkeeide] and me. What I wanted, and what we wanted every time, was for the blue number to stay in France. It was a group objective, included in our collective briefing in Nove Mesto at the beginning of March. I think it’s been very rewarding for both of us. It ends with a win for me, but it’s only 5 points difference… which isn’t much!

• What do you think made it possible for you to stay regular and consistent at very high altitude from January onwards?

Learning at Oberhof to be 100% present at moment M. That means thinking only about skiing when I’m skiing, and shooting when I’m shooting. I think that’s it: having understood what it means to be concentrated on what I have to do in the moment. It’s difficult to do, especially for me who thinks a lot [laughs]! There’s a lot going on in my head and I had to channel it all. I found the solution at that time, and now I’m more resourceful than before in that respect.

• Before the start of the season, you explained in our columns that the only aim of your winter was to enjoy yourself. Has that goal been more than achieved?

Yes, completely! The winter before, I had two good first weeks in the World Cup, but I wasn’t 100% myself because of the stress and pressure I’d put on myself. It’s a lot more fun to race and enjoy it from start to finish, and with a bit more perspective, than when you’re a bit too stressed, although there was still some [laughs]. So the most important thing was to be able to live and enjoy the events 100%, and that’s exactly what happened!

• This winter, you experienced your first Grand-Bornand (Haute-Savoie) as a competitor. It was also there that you achieved your worst result of the winter, 34th place in the sprint. Was it by chance or was it a very special experience for you?

I don’t really know if it was by chance or not. We all wanted to do really well that weekend. What’s more, I was off to a very good start in the sprint, but it was my standing shot that meant it didn’t end well. It had already happened to me at the start of the season, and then it happened again, so I wouldn’t know. In any case, racing on this site was a really crazy experience!

• With collective training about to resume, what will be your priorities for the summer?

I’d like to work on improving my shooting consistency a bit more. Finally, despite all the results this season, I’ve never shot 20/20 in my life. I’ve scored my first 10/10, which I’m really pleased about, but not yet in an individual race! I also want to enjoy myself as much as possible so that I can live this year to the full again.

• With a particular eye on the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games…

We’ve all got our eye on it, of course! It’s a good source of motivation for the whole team. After that, the most important thing for me is to enjoy myself and, in any case, there are plenty of things to do before thinking about the Olympics.

• Cyril Burdet on Océane Michelon’s 2024/2025 season: “She’s undoubtedly the revelation of the winter”.