Biathlon: a first World Cup podium for Océane Michelon
Less than a fortnight ago, in Lenzerheide (Switzerland), Océane Michelon became world mass-start medallist. Runner-up in the world championship that day, the Baujue climbed onto her very first international podium. The outgoing winner of the IBU Cup’s big globe had not even been through the World Cup stage.
On Saturday, Océane Michelon took her first podium on the regular circuit in the pursuit at Nove Mesto (Czech Republic). “Cyril [Burdet] and Paulo [Jean-Paul Giachino, editor’s note] told me that it was good because it confirms that it wasn’t a fluke at the World Championships, she explained afterwards in the mixed zone to La Chaîne L’Equipe. It’s very satisfying to be able to repeat that here. I’m discovering Nove Mesto and I’m happy to do it with such emotions.”
It has to be said that the atmosphere in the Vysocina Arena was simply crazy, buzzing. “It was an earful, confirms Océane Michelon, third in the chase. You can’t hear yourself breathe and when you get into the stadium, you get tinnitus! When we get back to the bedroom with Justine [Braisaz-Bouchet] in the evening, we do a bit of candlelight reading before we go to sleep.é
She’s totally back in the game in the blue bib
It was in a very tense final round, against Lou Jeanmonnot, Dorothea Wierer and Selina Grotian, that Océane Michelon claimed her podium place. A tough one.
“I wanted to work with Lou [Jeanmonnot]. Her big globe is a personal quest, but it’s also a collective one for me. I wanted to make as big a gap as possible with Franziska [Preuss] and above all, I didn’t want Dorothea [Wierer] to overtake us either, she explains. On the last run, I told Lou [Jeanmonnot] that we had to go for it.”
In the final, she gained the upper hand to conquer this long-awaited podium… which also allowed her to move back to within 2 points of Jeanne Richard in the best U23 ranking. “There are still a lot of races to go and we know we have to work hard to get there. We’ll be counting the points at the end,” concluded Océane Michelon.
Read also
- Nove Mesto: Julia Simon triumphs in the pursuit ahead of Hanna Oeberg and Océane Michelon, Lou Jeanmonnot again fourth
- “It’s the icing on the cake”: Océane Michelon’s delight at being runner-up in the mass start in Lenzerheide
