Biathlon: Gilonne Guigonnat guest of Nordic Magazine
Last winter saw 25-year-old biathlete Gilonne Guigonnat from Haute-Savoie put in some unprecedented performances. Firstly, the native of Ambilly (Haute-Savoie) spent almost the entire winter on the World Cup circuit, a major first for a biathlete who only discovered it at the very end of the 2022/2023 season in Oslo-Holmenkollen (Norway).
A strong performer from the outset, the Montblanc native scored her first top 10 finish (very) quickly, coming eighth in the sprint in Östersund (Sweden). On the podium of the relay in Hochfilzen (Austria) the following week, she then suffered a slight setback, being relegated to the IBU Cup at the start of January to make way for Jeanne Richard and Océane Michelon.
“Her return to the IBU Cup has often been presented as relegation, but in this case I’d say she was more a victim of the competition, explained Cyril Burdet, her coach, in our columns last May. They took it well by going out and winning to prove that they belonged in the next tier up.”
End of winter in Canada with a bang
Twice winner of the IBU Cup, Gilonne Guigonnat returned to the World Cup in Antholz (Italy), finishing in the top 10 and winning her ticket for the World Championships in Nove Mesto (Czech Republic). She then had a wild end to the season with a flower ceremony and her first World Cup podium at the finals in Canmore (Canada).
“More than this podium, I’m thinking about all the final weeks of the season. It’s a bit as if I’ve managed to put in place everything I’ve been working on for years and that everything has finally come together, she confided to Nordic Magazine in these early days of November. I was still in good shape at the end of the season and I really enjoyed myself throughout the week in Canmore. I didn’t ask myself any questions and just went for it.”
Confident at altitudes where she had never been before, Gilonne Guigonnat revealed herself to the general public. “During the races, I would say to myself that I was so happy to be there and that I was having so much fun! It was really great, she recalls. When I think back to the podium, I’m really happy to have managed to shoot 20/20 when I was on mat 3 in the last stand and I was aiming for a podium. It added a big positive note to my season, which was already full of them. It was the icing on the cake. I proved to myself that I was capable of doing great things, which is always good!”
A salutary experience of the IBU Cup to shine in the World Cup
Gilonne Guigonnat attributes her progress to the experience she has gained over the last four winters in the IBU Cup, a circuit she knows like the back of her hand. “It’s helped me to be ready to handle the little pressures of relays and mass starts in the World Cup, she says. It’s also thanks to all the experience I’ve gained. I felt really ready.”
“I see her winter as a blossoming, [with Gilonne Guigonnat] taking on the role of someone who allows herself to slam at the highest level”, confirmed Cyril Burdet about her in the spring. It’s also thanks to her progress on cross-country skis that the member of SC Villard-sur-Boëge (Haute-Savoie) has been able to pass this milestone.
“Little things clicked from year to year. Technically, I’ve made a lot of progress and that’s helped me to be more efficient, so I can go faster and use less energy. As the races went on, I realised that I was able to go faster and faster on cross-country skis”, says the little sister ofAntonin Guigonnat, who is due to become a father in the next few weeks.
Of course, Gilonne Guigonnat continued in the same vein throughout her summer training with the French senior team. Discovering new training venues, such as Ramsau (Austria), Lenzerheide (Switzerland) and Sandnes (Norway), she put her heart and soul into continuing to improve her technique on skis and her speed on the shooting range.
Under pressure from the onset of winter
“There have been ups and downs in my preparation, but it’s going in the right direction, she enthuses. I’m feeling good, and I can’t wait to get on with the season and get back on the skis in Bessans [from Friday 8 November, editor’s note]!”
For the winter season ahead, which starts on 30 November in Kontiolahti (Finland), Gilonne Guigonnat will need to get straight down to business if she is to avoid a return to the IBU Cup before Christmas.
“It puts pressure on us, but in fact it’s always there, she admits. We know very well that the level among the girls is exceptional at the moment, whether there are six or seven of us [after the second stage, the French quota will be reduced from seven to six, as the staff will have to drop one athlete to the lower level, editor’s note], in the World Cup or the IBU Cup. I’m trying to use that to give the best of myself without putting too much pressure on myself, just by doing what I know how to do.”
Although she does not wish to reveal her results targets publicly, Gilonne Guigonnat defines a successful winter as one in which she finishes “proud” of her performances, achieved “at 100%” and without “too many regrets”. If, on top of that, she can perform in front of her home crowd in Le Grand-Bornand (Haute-Savoie) in December and then in Lenzerheide (Switzerland) in February for the World Championships, it will certainly be a success.
- Gilonne Guigonnat on her first World Cup podium: “It’s the culmination of all the work we’ve put in over the last few years”.
- Méribel: Mont-Blanc, with Maëlle Achoui, Lou-Anne Dupont Ballet-Baz and Gilonne Guigonnat, crowned French relay champions
- Cyril Burdet on Gilonne Guigonnat’s 2023/2024 season: “I see her winter as a blossoming”.
- The French women’s team in training at Prémanon: photo album of Julia Simon, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, Lou Jeanmonnot, Jeanne Richard, Gilonne Guigonnat, Sophie Chauveau and Océane Michelon in training
- “Cyril Burdet explains why Julia Simon, Lou Jeanmonnot, Gilonne Guigonnat and Sophie Chauveau are skiing in Tignes.
