Biathlon: Maëlle Achoui, queen of the U19 Summer Tour at La Féclaz
Last weekend, biathlete Maëlle Achoui, who celebrates her eighteenth birthday on October 29, swept all before her in the U19 races at the Summer Tour in La Féclaz (Savoie).
At the Alexis Boeuf stadium , where she became French U17 mixed relay champion a year and a half ago, the Haut-Savoyard won both the sprint and the pursuit. Each time it was all to play for.
Before the first race, I said to myself that I wanted to do a good biathlon to put in place some of the things I’ve been working on in training,” she tells Nordic Magazine. I didn’t want to concentrate too much on the result, but rather on the manner. When I came out of my last shot and saw that I could perhaps be in the lead, I gave it my all.”
A (big) scare on the first standing shot of the pursuit
She won by just 3 sec 1 over Bambou Pallud and 3 sec 6 over Rosalie Odile. It was against the latter that Maëlle Achoui put up a good fight in the Sunday pursuit.
“I got a bit nervous at one point, on my third shot”, she explains. Then in the lead, she made four mistakes and saw her rival from Beaufort take (large) control of the race.
“Before the last stand-up, I was more than a minute behind her, but she shot 2/5. I just tried to shoot a little better than before, and I did the 5/5 and then I went out of the stadium with her, which I wasn’t expecting at all“, continues the Montblanc rider. We did most of the lap together and, on the last flat, we sprinted and I won.
She has her sights firmly set on the World Youth Championships in Arber, scheduled for late February/early March.
Twice fourth in Arçon (Doubs) in September in races where she was hampered by the reawakening of her popliteal artery syndrome trapped in her calf, Maëlle Achoui did much better in the Bauges massif.
Even though these are still preparatory summer races, it’s good to get some good places,” says the high school student, who has just completed a week’s training at Les Plans d’Hotonnes (Ain) with the Mont-Blanc committee. It’s always good to see that things are going well and that I’m able to put things in place even though we’re still a long way from the season.
This winter, the biathlete from Peillonnex (Haute-Savoie) has her sights set on one event in particular: the World Youth Championships in Arber (Germany). “ That’s my big goal,” admits Maëlle Achoui, who last winter took part in the European Youth Olympic Festival in Bakuriani (Georgia), her first international experience.
Inspired by Gilonne Guigonnat and Voldiya Galmace-Paulin, her club team-mates
A lifelong member of the Villard-sur-Boëge (Haute-Savoie) club, the Montblanaise can also count on the sound advice of her club-mates Gilonne Guigonnat and Voldiya Galmace-Paulin.
“I’ve also been to club France with them, and seeing where they’re at makes you want to go and it’s motivating! With Voldiya [Galmace-Paulin], we were at school and at the club together, then on the committee for two years. She’s a great person,” says Maëlle Achoui, who will be back on the snow in Livigno (Italy) in mid-November. It’s very rewarding to be with her and we get on really well!
- Summer Tour de La Féclaz: at the end of the suspense, Maëlle Achoui wins the U19 sprint ahead of Bambou Pallud and Rosalie Odile
- La Féclaz: a double for Maëlle Achoui, who won the pursuit ahead of Rosalie Odile, the new French U19 summer champion.
- EYOWF Bakuriani 2025: words from Rosalie Odile, Juliette Oliva, Maëlle Achoui, Romane Ouvrier-Buffet, Emile Weiss, Nans Madelenat, Emile Perrillat-Bottonet and Esteban Moreira before they leave for Georgia
- EYOWF Bakuriani 2025: fifth, Maëlle Achoui comes close to a medal in the sprint won by Michaela Strakova
- EYOWF Bakuriani 2025: Italy triumphs in the closing mixed relay, France’s Esteban Moreira, Nans Madelenat, Romane Ouvrier-Buffet and Maëlle Achoui fourth
- Méribel: Mont-Blanc, with Maëlle Achoui, Lou-Anne Dupont Ballet-Baz and Gilonne Guigonnat, crowned French relay champions
- La Féclaz: the Mont-Blanc of Esteban Moreira, Emile Perrillat-Bottonet, Maëlle Achoui and Juliette Oliva French U17 mixed relay champions
- French Cup at La Féclaz: U17 sprints for Emile Weiss and Maëlle Achoui
