Biathlon: Maëla Correia’s fine progress
Three weeks ago, at the Summer Tour in Arçon (Doubs), 20-year-old Maëla Correia from the Vosges showed that she will be a force to be reckoned with next winter.
Fifth in the U21 category in the sprint and then second in the pursuit, she had a solid weekend, following on from her previous season when she won the national junior pursuit title in Peisey-Nancroix (Savoie).
All this despite the fact that she had fallen ill with Covid-19 during a training camp in Font-Romeu (Pyrénées-Orientales) in the days leading up to the Haut-Doubiste event.
I was already happy to be there and, as it was the first race of the summer, it was difficult to know what the outcome would be,” the biathlete from Ski club La Bressaude explained to Nordic Magazine. So my objectives were more focused on the way I did things rather than the result. In shooting, the aim was to implement what I’d worked on over the summer and it worked out quite well, with a 9/10 and then a 20/20. I’m really pleased to have been able to do that in high-stakes races!
Training partner of cross-country skier Clémence Didierlaurent
Maëla Correia’s assessment is more than positive : “I’m really happy with my weekend,” she admits. I wasn’t expecting to finish second behind Voldiya [Galmace-Paulin], so I’ll take it! On Sunday, in the pursuit, I just wanted to give it my all without thinking too much about the result. I didn’t get too carried away, I set my shots well and I could feel that things were going well and that I was gaining time on the frontrunners and overtaking the girls as the race went on.
The fact that the Vosges-based athlete has been at the top of the rankings since last winter is largely down to her progress in the ranks of the Vosges Elite Ski Team, which includes Amandine Mengin, her lifelong friend now in the French B team.
At the beginning, it was hard to go from sessions where we were together all the time with Amandine [Mengin] to a rather solitary summer,” she explains. I thought it was going to be hard because we were pulling each other up. Then, when cross-country skier Clémence Didierlaurent joined the team, that helped me a lot. Zélie [Roy] and Mila [Ambert] also joined the group, so we’re a great women’s team. We all pull each other up!
“Compared to last year, I feel I’ve really improved technically on the skis”.
Under the guidance ofAmbroise Meunier, shooting coach, and Léo Ponceot, physical trainer, Maëla Correia had an ideal preparation, with no illness as had been the case in the past.
I really did have a very full summer,” she reveals. I wouldn’t say I gave 100% because you can never say that, but I had zero problems. Compared to last year, I feel I’ve really improved technically on skis [she took part in the Challenge Vincent Vittoz and the French Rollerski Championships, editor’s note] and I feel I’ve also improved my shooting.
Before the Summer Tour at La Féclaz (Savoie) on 18 and 19 October, Maëla Correia’s Vosges Elite Ski Team decided to spend a week training there. ” Then, at the beginning of November, we’ll go to Livigno to put our skis back on”, concludes the Bressaude.
- “She’ll remember this season for the rest of her life”: long-time friend and team-mate Maëla Correia talks about Amandine Mengin, who is about to discover the World Cup in Oslo-Holmenkollen.
- “At the start of the season, I didn’t even know if I was going to be able to finish…”: after a summer marked by mononucleosis, Maëla Correia became French U22 pursuit champion.
- Vosgienne Maëla Correia wins the 6 km Foulées de Longemer
- “A little stop at the shooting range wouldn’t have done me any harm…”. Like Julia Simon, biathletes Louise Roguet, Flavio Guy and Maëla Correia took part in the Challenge Vincent Vittoz at Prémanon.
- The full line-up of the Vosges Elite Ski Team for the 2025/2026 season
