Biathlon: Tom Bouillet’s fine weekend in Feclaz
On 18 and 19 October, Jura biathlete Tom Bouillet dominated the U19 races at the Summer Tour in La Féclaz (Savoie). Winner of the sprint at 10/10 and then the pursuit at 16/20 the following day, he had a perfect weekend, showing up for the first time in his young career at a similar event.
On the first day, I had a good shot which pushed me on to the ski-wheels,” the 18-year-old from Franc-Comtois told Nordic Magazine. In the pursuit, I had everything to lose so I was more stressed, especially as it was the first time I’d started in the lead. In the end, I managed well despite a few scares and I won. Last season, I wasn’t very good on ski-wheels, but better at shooting. This time, I managed to put the two together”.
Tom Bouillet was himself surprised by his double win – “My two victories really came as a surprise”, he confided – and he also arrived at La Féclaz with no points of reference after having had to write off the races at Arçon (Doubs).
“I was on antibiotics and didn’t finish the sprint. So I had no idea where I stood in relation to the others,” he says.
“My aim is to be top 3 in the French Cup”.
Boosted by his performances in Savoie, Tom Bouillet will be aiming for consistency over the coming winter.
My aim is to be top 3 in the French Cup,” he admits. I know there are also selections, but for the moment I’m sticking to that objective. Of course, it’s always motivating to win, but the season is long and nothing can be taken for granted! I prefer to continue training seriously and keep up the same work ethic.
A passion for football before discovering biathlon through his sister
A member of the Ski Club du Grandvaux, like a certain Quentin Fillon-Maillet, the Grandvallier was not really destined to compete in biathlon at a very high level.
Originally, I loved football, but it’s hard to break into that, so I took up skiing… without necessarily wanting to do biathlon,” he recalls. It was when I saw my sister Louna doing it that I got the urge, from one day to the next!
That was only four years ago. Since then, Tom Bouillet has continued to progress and could well make his first international appearances in the coming months. ” I really enjoy biathlon,” he concludes, now well into his career… away from the round ball.
- La Féclaz: Grandvallier Tom Bouillet dominates the U19 sprint
- Summer Tour de La Féclaz: Tom Bouillet does the double by winning the U19 pursuit
