Biathlon: the season of firsts for Jeanne Richard
In this 2024/2025 season, spent entirely on the World Cup circuit, Jeanne Richard has broken several glass ceilings. The biathlete from Les Gets (Haute-Savoie) took part in her first flower ceremonies, stood on her first individual podium, took part in her first mixed relays and finished fourth in the mass start at the World Championships, just a few seconds short of bronze.
The Montblanc native finished a full year in sixth place overall and second in the U23 rankings, just edged out by her compatriot and friend Océane Michelon in the quest for the globe.
“Throughout the winter, she led a match against Océane [Michelon], which finally came down to the last race! In terms of the number of jerseys she wore, she had the most throughout the winter, and quite a lot,” recalls her coach Cyril Burdet for Nordic Magazine. She built her winter on exceptional shooting stats.
Areas for improvement identified in cross-country skiing
It has to be said that Jeanne Richard only missed one prone shot in the first six rounds of the season! In the end, she finished the season with a 95% success rate in this position, and 85% in the standing position, for an overall figure of 90% of targets hit over the winter as a whole.
Technically, I think she’s progressed quite well compared to last year, but for the moment, that hasn’t necessarily translated into better times on skis,” regrets Cyril Burdet. In my opinion, she should be able to go a lot faster than she did on skis this winter.
I don’t think she’s in full possession of her abilities on skis, but she’s capable of going faster, that’s for sure,” insists the Savoyard technician. She has a lot of things to improve, whether it’s her technique or her race management. There are plenty of things I can think of where she still has a lot to improve. Still, despite all that, she finished the season sixth in the world and that’s a pretty good sign.
- Cyril Burdet talks to Nordic Magazine about the French women’s excellent 2024/2025 season: “Everyone’s making a contribution”.
- Julia Simon’s 2024/2025 season as seen by Cyril Burdet: “Her ability to bounce back and cope with difficulty is incredible”.
- Eric Perrot’s 2024/2025 season as seen by Simon Fourcade: “He’s really a very mature person, and he’s continuing to chart his course”.
- Cyril Burdet on Océane Michelon’s 2024/2025 season: “She’s undoubtedly the revelation of the winter”.
- Simon Fourcade’s view of Emilien Jacquelin’s 2024/2025 season: “This is the third year in a row that he has struggled to achieve at the World Championships”.
- Cyril Burdet on Justine Braisaz-Bouchet’s 2024/2025 season: “What I remember is her ability to be there on D-Day for a major championship”.
- Fabien Claude’s 2024/2025 season as seen by Simon Fourcade: “We managed to raise his level in the sprints”.
