Biathlon: what Julia Simon has to say
Julia Simon, six-time biathlon world champion, doesn’t confide much in the media. Shaken in the summer of 2023 by the media explosion of the court case against her, the woman who had won the Crystal Globe a few months earlier found in the Extraterrien podcast a way of telling her story outside the usual confines.
For almost 90 minutes, the Beaufortaine rider talked about a whole host of subjects in an episode posted online in the last few days. One of these was the pre-race rituals she might introduce.

“I’m not superstitious, she replied. A lot of biathletes, for example, are afraid to take off their armbands after making the adjustments, but I don’t mind. If I need to go to the toilet before the race, I’ll have no problem taking off my wetsuit and my armband to go. I don’t have any rituals either.’
“I tell myself that I’m living my dream and that it won’t change my life whether it goes well or not”
During this warm-up phase, Julia Simon is not the type to shut herself away in her concentration bubble.
“I feed off the outside world, the public. When I do my first warm-up lap, I hear people shouting my name and I like to give them a smile and say thank you. After that, I get into my race, but I really like to feel the atmosphere in the stadium, the tension that reigns there, she admits. It’s something that feeds me. The more stressed I see the people around me, the calmer I stay. I tell myself that I’m living my dream and that it won’t change my life whether it goes well or not. My parents will always love me, my sisters will always be there for me.”

He goes on to explain the purpose of his commitment to biathlon: “What I love is transmitting emotions. (…) To feel that people can dream through us is something quite beautiful that only sport can convey. I’m very proud to be able to do that.”
Over the last two winters, Julia Simon has undoubtedly inspired thousands of people with her performances.
A year without Marie-Laure Brunet
In the race, as she often says during the season, the Savoyard’s biggest adversary… is herself.
“These are my thoughts, she explains. When I get to the shooting range, I’m on my own, it’s up to me. My secret is to breathe and stay in the present moment, taking control of my shooting. (…) I have to be able to manage my fears and moments of doubt and uncertainty. We’ve stopped working together [with my mental trainer Marie-Laure Brunet] for this year because I want to see if I can manage on my own and retain what I’ve learnt over the last three years.”

That’s how Julia Simon, who describes herself as “very private”, opens up about these subjects to her coaches. “I talk to them about my fears and doubts, and that helps me to get them out,” she says.
Finally, the customs officer didn’t hesitate to take stock of the last two years, during which she has become one of the stars of world biathlon. “In my life, I’m still the same person, but I’ve become more confident. I’ve learnt a lot about myself, my strengths and my weaknesses. My mind has resources that I never thought I had. I’ve gained in confidence and serenity. I’ve become much more detached from the way other people look at me. There will always be people who criticise, so I’ve detached myself from that. I’m in tune with myself,” concludes the member of Club des sports des Saisies (Savoie).
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- “It’s always important to put in a good performance in your head”: after winning in Arçon, Julia Simon is approaching the end of her preparations with confidence.