Biathlon: Frédéric Jean’s view of the Hochfilzen World Cup
Throughout the winter, a retired French biathlete will be debriefing Nordic Magazine on the season’s various competitions. Frédéric Jean, former biathlete and coach of Les Bleues, will be taking a look back at the World Cup in Hochfilzen (Austria).
Performance of the week: the pursuit of Lou Jeanmonnot
“I was really fascinated by her pursuit, her ease behind the rifle and her management on skis. For me, when she goes out on the shooting range, I get the impression that she’s mastered everything naturally. It’s not forced, it’s clean. Her relay goes against that, but it also shows that she’s human and it’s possible to miss out. This chase was a controlled race from start to finish. What’s more, she kept it simple and down to earth. That’s Lou!”
“In the way she debriefs, she doesn’t say that she’s aiming for the general, but she makes a lot of allusions. When you read between the lines, you understand that she’s aiming for the general, but she doesn’t say it directly. For the moment, she wants to be consistent and that’s what will enable her to aim for the overall. She’s an athlete who’s going to give Franziska Preuss a hard time and there’s no doubt that she’ll be aiming for the big one at the end of the season.”
Pick of the week: Simon Fourcade’s Les Bleus
“I’m really pleased, firstly because he’s a friend of Simon [Fourcade]! He’s a hard worker who’s close to his athletes. I’m really pleased to see that his work is coming together and that it’s working for the boys. The French men’s team is back at the top level! They’re once again giving the Norwegians and the world’s best a hard time. They were there from the start and confirmed their form in almost every race. The Norwegians must be starting to question themselves.”
Returnee of the week: Franziska Preuss
“It’s amazing what she does! Over the last three seasons, she’s had shit happen to her every time. She misses World Cup stages, then she comes back. She misses races again and comes back again! Now she’s solid and in the lead overall. Her performances are of a very high level, high flying. She’s the one who stands out in terms of consistency and performances.”
Back on the podium this week: Fabien Claude
“It’s great to see him back on the box! He’s an athlete who’s been chasing this for four years. It’s part of the way he works. He’s never given up, he’s a hard worker. He had a hell of a race, which is really pleasing for him and shows that the density of the boys allows them to shine at the highest level. It’s good for the team and shows just how far the French team has come!”
Highlight of the week: Sophie Chauveau’s podium places her in Le Grand-Bornand
“She showed that she can be mentally strong. She went into Hochfilzen knowing that she wasn’t going to Le Grand-Bornand. She knew that if she wanted to be part of the home team, she would have to put in a major performance. To slam 10/10 in this way, building her race with a small race number. Mentally, in the situation she was in, that’s really strong of her! The sprint she put in was crazy to do in that situation. Now she has to build on this race and realise that she can do it.”
“I think she’s still lacking a little something to give her consistency, but she’s an athlete who’s capable of putting in a race like that every stage! She’s capable of doing it without doing anything exceptional. Second place obviously gives her the ticket to go and race in Le Grand-Bornand in front of her family!”
Cheers of the week: Emilien Jacquelin
“During the summer preparations, he made a lot of big strides. If there’s one thing I’ve taken away from him this week, it’s his presence behind the rifle! When he gets on the mat, he’s concentrated and knows what he has to do. He works out his shot and doesn’t get carried away, wasting energy unnecessarily. He picks himself up when he’s in difficulty. He builds his shot. It’s a huge change for him! His mindset has changed and it’s paying off.”
“He didn’t go back to his old ways except when he came across the chase. For two or three seconds, he put his head down. Caught up in the adrenalin, he was on his toes and didn’t have the presence of mind to go straight back. We’ll never take away his showman side, but he mustn’t cross the line and remain respectful and himself.”
Disappointments of the week: Julia Simon and Justine Braisaz-Bouchet
“Julia [Simon] is still a little short of what she’s shown us over the last few seasons. Physically, she’s lacking a bit and she’s perhaps hampered by a few minor problems, which is affecting her stand-up shooting. Despite everything, she’s there, ninth overall and in the fight. It’s still a bit shaky, but there’s not much missing.”
“Justine [Braisaz-Bouchet], on the other hand, is a little more alarming. You can tell she’s holding back on her shooting. Physically, she’s fast and not far from her best, but she’s stuck on the mats. She doesn’t let go of the ball, she holds back, she doesn’t dare go for it. Is she making a mountain out of a molehill? In any case, you can feel that she’s not letting go and that shooting is a punishment for her when it should be fun and games. It’ll be good for her to get home and recharge the batteries with her family before Le Grand-Bornand.”
First of the week: Eric Perrot
“He’s having a great week, starting with his first yellow bib. I’m sure it won’t be his last! He took this day in yellow very well, fought like the devil and still put in a great performance. In the pursuit, he showed that he’s there, he didn’t explode in mid-air. Finally, in the relay, he has nothing to be ashamed of against Johannes [Thingnes Boe]. His week was a reflection of his attitude.”
Failure of the week: Elvira Oeberg
“She showed that she is capable of having setbacks. Despite everything, she’s still going fast on skis and she set the record straight with a great chase. I wouldn’t put Elvira [Oeberg] out of the running for the overall classification. She has often shone in Grand-Bornand, so I think we’re really going to have to rely on her.”
Boss of the week: Johannes Thingnes Boe
“He’s out of the ordinary! At the end of Kontiolahti, he announced that he would arrive in form at Hochfilzen. The Norwegians trained at altitude, they know how to do it and he showed that he’s still the boss. It’s not easy for everyone to go for the double, both physically and mentally. He was able to do it! He proved that we’re still going to have to rely on him to get the big one. What’s really impressive is when you see the physical and mental state he was in a month ago in Sjusjøen. In the space of three weeks, he went from a Norwegian top 15 to world number 1! It’s physically extraordinary.”
Confirmation of the week: the French men’s relay
“A fortnight ago, they went out to win this relay with just two picks. At the time, you might have thought they’d won mainly because of that. In Hochfilzen, by winning again, they confirmed it. They slammed ten picks, are physically moving up the rankings and proving that there aren’t many countries that can field four solid guys at the start. France is one of them and they’ve got their dream team back!”
Snowboarding of the week: the French technicians
“At the start of the season, the technical staff made a number of choices and tests to try and make progress in cold snow. When you take stock of this week in Austria and see the whole range of snow conditions, you realise that the technicians were good everywhere. The equipment helped the biathletes enormously and I would like to underline the enormous amount of work done by the technicians. It’s worth highlighting!”
- Corinne Niogret: my best memory of… Hochfilzen
- Kontiolahti World Cup: Anaïs Bescond’s debrief
- Corinne Niogret: my best memory of… Kontiolahti
- Nordic Magazine is once again working with a team of experts to bring you the 2024/2025 season.
