Biathlon: Namou Candau-Armand, the new kid on the block
In the two weeks before Christmas, a new face in French women’s biathlon appeared on the international scene: Namou Candau-Armand. Aged just 18, the Savoie native qualified for the Junior Cups in Ridnaun-Val Ridanna (Italy) and Goms (Switzerland).
It was at the French Cup in Bessans (Savoie), held at the end of November/beginning of December, that the biathlete from Les Bauges Ski Nordique, the same club as a certain Océane Michelon, secured her place.
“We did a three-week training course in Bessans. Personally, I like this time of year when it’s the very beginning of winter and you put your skis back on. I didn’t really know what to expect at the start of the season, but I knew I was in good shape. I was pretty confident, but I didn’t know what to expect,” she tells Nordic Magazine.
Qualification assured in Bessans
Winner of the opening sprint in the U19 category, which offered two tickets to the Junior Cup, Namou Candau-Armand immediately gave herself a great chance of joining the international circuit reserved for under-22s.
“The next day, the shot put me in a bit of a tailspin but, by finishing fifth, I made it through to the selections”, she recalls. Although international qualification was “not at all the objective” of the weekend, Namou Candau-Armand found herself propelled into the French team for the first time in her short career.
“I was very happy to take this selection and, what’s more, I went with Benjamin [De Grimaudet De Rochebouet], who is also in my group on the committee”, she enthuses.
The Savoy native, who won a sprint at the 2020 U15 National Challenge, took the plunge with an experienced group including Amandine Mengin, Violette Bony, Anaëlle Bondoux, Célia Henaff and Lou-Anne Dupont Ballet-Baz.
A rewarding experience
“I went with the big girls who are used to international competition! I wasn’t completely confident because I had these big girls around me and I was the last in the selection, she says. So I was surprised and very pleased. It’s been a great experience, I’ve learnt lots of tricks and discovered lots of new things with new people.”
It has to be said that, despite the multitude of new features, Namou Candau-Armand was not impressed by her discovery of the Junior Cup. Twenty-first in the individual at Ridnaun-Val Ridanna for her first international bib, she followed that up with a tenth place in the first sprint and a twenty-fifth in the second.
Eleventh in the sprint in Goms and then tenth in the mass-start 60, the rider whose family lives in the village of Cusy (Haute-Savoie) took her first international steps successfully. “It showed me that I could compete up front with the big girls, without any complexes. In the end, I finished two top 10s and eleventh. I was consistent, particularly in my shooting, where I didn’t fall behind, and that gave me confidence. All in all, it was a positive experience,” she said as she summed up her experience.
Julia Simon, her idol
During her week in Switzerland, Namou Candau-Armand had a long talk with Anaëlle Bondoux.
“She already has a lot of experience and she was able to give me her opinion on a lot of aspects of biathlon, she explains. With the coaches [Rachel Demangeat and Claire Breton], it was good to have other approaches and other words, in relation to shooting for example. I also got their opinion on a lot of situations, whether in training or in the race, which helped me a lot.”
Back to her daily routine for several days now, Namou Candau-Armand will be taking part in two major French Cups at the start of January: the aim will be to secure a ticket for the European Junior Championships in Altenberg (Germany). “I’m not going to think about it too much, but I’d be very happy to go”, she promises.
The Bauges biathlete, who loves photography, also holds Julia Simon in high regard. “If there’s one person I’d like to be like, it could be her! I admire her as much for skiing as for shooting. Ever since I was a little girl, when I watched biathlon, it was Julia [Simon] who impressed me, and that’s always stayed with me,” she concludes.
- Ridnaun-Val Ridanna Junior Cup: Violette Bony wins the sprint, Amandine Mengin third, Namou Candau-Armand tenth
- Goms: on her return to the Junior Cup, Anaëlle Bondoux crushes the sprint, Namou Candau-Armand 11th
- Goms: Anaëlle Bondoux takes Amandine Mengin by the scruff of the neck in the Junior Cup mass-start 60, top 10 for Namou Candau-Armand
