Biathlon: time to compete for Les Bleus in Geilo
Away from the hustle and bustle of Bessans (Savoie), where there is a great deal of unfinished business surrounding the French women’s team, Les Bleus are currently completing their Olympic preparations on the snow in Geilo (Norway).
Training on site for almost ten days now, Fabien Claude, Eric Perrot, Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Emilien Jacquelin, Emilien Claude, Antonin Guigonnat, Oscar Lombardot and Gaëtan Paturel are preparing to take part in the opening races in Norway. A competitive weekend that will decide the final World Cup ticket between the last three.
But, above all, this sprint and mass-start launch the great adventure that will take the French to the Olympic Games in Milan/Cortina 2026. It’s a chance to get back into the swing of things,” Simon Fourcade, the team’s fitness coach, told Nordic Magazine. That’s especially important in these races because there aren’t necessarily any expectations of results behind them.
“It’s been almost eight months since we last put on a race number [on snow]”.
On the other hand, the athletes see this dress rehearsal , held a fortnight before the start of the World Cup season, as an opportunity to make their mark.
Above all, they want to show that they’re on the pace and see where they stand in relation to the competition,” confirms their coach. It’s been almost eight months since we last put on a bib [on snow] and they haven’t faced up to the international competition again. A lot of doubts are starting to creep in, and in particular we’re wondering about the milestones that some of them have reached, and whether we’ve managed to overcome them.
That’s why the races in Geilo are so important. ” It will give us the chance to question ourselves if we need to over the remaining two weeks before the World Cup or, on the contrary, to approach things with a little more serenity,” concludes Simon Fourcade.
The full programme for the opening Norwegian biathlon races in Geilo (Norway)
Friday 14th November
- 9.00-11.00: Official ladies’ training
- 11.30am-1.30pm: official men’s training
Saturday 15 November
- 10.30am-11.15am: women’s shooting trials
- 11.30am: women’s 7.5 km sprint
- 13:00-13:45: Men’s shooting trials
- 2pm: Men’s 10 km sprint
Sunday 16 November
- 9.00am-9.20am: mass-start trials n°1 ladies
- 9.25am-9.45am: mass-start shooting trials n°1 men
- 9.50 am: women’s 12.5 km mass-start (race B)
- 10.40 am: men’s 15km mass-start (race B)
- 12.00-12.30: mass-start women’s trials n°2
- 12.45pm: women’s 12.5km mass-start (race A)
- 1.45pm-2.15pm: Men’s mass-start shooting trials No. 2
- 2.30pm: men’s 15km mass-start (race A)
- A sprint and a mass-start: the full programme for the Norwegian opening races in Geilo, contested by the French men’s team
- “Going head-to-head with the world’s elite”: departure day in Norway for the French men’s team, expected on the snow in Geilo for the final training camp in their Olympic preparations.
- “I’m not going home until Christmas”: after the Geilo course, Eric Perrot and Emilien Claude will stay on to train before heading to Östersund for the start of the World Cup.
- “I’m not going to take any risks”: after returning from injury, Emilien Claude will not be starting the opening Norwegian races in Geilo
- Three men for one place: Antonin Guigonnat, Oscar Lombardot and Gaëtan Paturel will battle it out for the final ticket to the World Cup on 15 and 16 November in Geilo.
