Biathlon: back to the future for Fabien Claude
When Norway’s Endre Stroemsheim, the last man to prevent him from finishing the biathlon world cup sprint in Hochfilzen (Austria) in third place, crossed the finish line with a time faster than his own, Fabien Claude let out a cry of joy. At that moment, the Vosges native was once again a biathlete with a podium finish at the highest international level.
The last time was on 10 December 2020, in a sprint at Hochfilzen. “The track probably suits me well,” he told Nordic Magazine with a smile after the podium ceremony. 1,463 days later, Fabien Claude is back in the top 3 with third place on Friday.
“It’s a great source of pride. I’ve worked really hard over the last four years and I’ve never been far from the podium, but I’ve never been on it either! I’m used to saying that there’s nothing to play for between the flowers and the podium and we saw that again today [Friday] with Endre Stroemsheim, who was fourth just behind me. I’m really proud and happy to finally be back on the podium, he continued. I was waiting for him and, at one point, I almost thought he wasn’t going to come… It’s good to be back on the podium again”.
“With age, I’ve learned to wait and I’m happy to be rewarded”
While he has seen all his compatriots shine in turn over the last four years in individual events, Fabien Claude is now enjoying his quarter of an hour of glory. “I was really happy to see the others perform because it gave me the right momentum, but at the same time I was wondering when my turn would come… You just have to be patient, which isn’t my best quality. With age, I’ve learned to wait and I’m happy to be rewarded today [Friday],” he says.
The clear-sighted Bassurois was well aware that he had been “stumbling” on that famous podium for (too) many months. “I’m not saying it’s going to be a smooth ride from now on, but I hope to keep going for great things because I’m a lot stronger than I was four years ago, he says. I didn’t win, but for me it’s a great victory.”
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