Biathlon: the World Cup returns to sunny Hochfilzen
“What a pleasure to see the sun again”, wrote Australian biathlete Darcie Morton on Instagram on Tuesday afternoon, commenting on a video of her on the slopes of Hochfilzen (Austria).
After two weeks in Kontiolahti (Finland), where at this time of year night takes up almost every hour of the day, the biathlon World Cup athletes are back in the sunshine in the Tyrol, where they arrived on Monday on an IBU charter flight.
“It’s special because it’s like stepping out of the shadows and into the light, former biathlete Anaïs Bescond, now shooting coach for the French para biathlon team, tells Nordic Magazine. It’s almost a relief, even though it’s already a relief to go up to Scandinavia at the start of the winter. When we launch the season there, we’re happy because it puts an end to a long period of preparation. At the same time, it’s a relief to be back in central Europe with a bit more light, mountains and familiar landscapes.”
Vitamin D to make up for the lack of sunshine
This view is shared by Eric Perrot, currently wearing the yellow bib for the men’s World Cup.
“I take a little vitamin D to make up for the lack of sun and that does the trick. After that, we’re up there for work and that work involves doing the shopping. As long as you stay focused on that, things go well. Despite everything, we’re happy to be in Austria, he told Nordic Magazine at the start of the week. I think the overall brightness alone is going to be good for us.”
“The atmosphere in the stands is also different, with Hochfilzen being warmer and noisier. That’s what we really like, to be back in our own backyard! There’s also a bit more altitude, which will make it difficult for the Scandinavians, even though they’re good in there too, adds Anaïs Bescond. Hochfilzen is also a venue that we know well, with a much more demanding and harder track for the finish.”
Shooting at night or in broad daylight makes no difference
What’s more, the races will now take place in broad daylight… whereas they all took place in total darkness in Finland.
“It’s different, but it’s more like what we know in France. At home, it’s very rare for us to train and compete at night, but there’s no problem doing so as long as the targets are well lit. From a technical point of view, it’s not harder, or even easier, to shoot at night. You’re not dazzled and you have good contrast. It’s more a question of your circadian clock, because it’s not normal or logical to go into competition mode at night,” continues Anaïs Bescond.
Here again, Eric Perrot from Savoie agrees, pointing out that it “makes no difference” whether he shoots in the middle of the night or the middle of the day. “It’s true that it’s harder to stay awake all day because it’s a bit long and I often fell asleep on the bus before arriving at the race, he says. In the end, whether it’s night or day, it’s the same because we have street lamps that light up the track.”
