Biathlon: Eric Perrot crushes the Geilo mass-start in top form
The competition has been warned. Already in fine form at the end of the summer in the races contested on skis and wheels in Sandnes (Norway), Dresden (Germany) and Munich (Germany), Eric Perrot negotiated the transition to snow (perfectly). Third in the sprint at the opening Norwegian biathlon races in Geilo (Norway) on Saturday, the Peiserot did even better in the mass start on Sunday .
Buoyed by an impeccable 20/20 shot (he had already scored 10/10 the day before), the 24-year-old from Savoie was the boss. Alone in the lead after the third shot, he didn’t crack on the final pass over the mats and flew to a masterly victory.
Eric Perrot won solo in Geilo, where he will stay on to train for another week before heading straight to Östersund (Sweden) a few days before the start of the World Cup on 29 November.
Emilien Jacquelin, second, also finished his preparation in fine style.
It was a collective celebration for the French team as Villardien’s Emilien Jacquelin (17/20) recovered well from an early mistake to claim second place on the podium. Going head-to-head with Martin Uldal (18/20) in the last few kilometres, he managed to overtake the Norwegian to give the French team a magnificent one-two finish.
Sivert Guttorm Bakken (18/20), Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen (17/20), Johannes Dale-Skjevdal (17/20), Sturla Holm Lægreid (17/20), Kasper Kalkenberg (18/20), Johan-Olav Botn (13/20) and Ole Suhrke (14/20) rounded out the top 10.
Fabien Claude (16/20) came eleventh, just ahead of his older brother Florent Claude (19/20), who came twelfth and was the first biathlete in his second wave of starters.
Mats Oeverby (12/20) is thirteenth, Sverre Dahlen Aspenes (14/20) fourteenth, Isak Frey (15/20) sixteenth, Quentin Fillon-Maillet (15/20) seventeenth, Endre Stroemsheim (17/20) twenty-first and Tommaso Giacomel (13/20) thirty-second.
Antonin Guigonnat first to qualify for the World Cup
Among the three other French riders competing for a place in the World Cup this weekend, Antonin Guigonnat (11/20) put in the best performance of the day, finishing 27th.
Gaëtan Paturel (15/20) is thirty-fifth, while Doubiste’s Oscar Lombardot (12/20), forty-seventh, has completely collapsed. It now remains to be seen which name the Tricolor staff will choose.
Full results
fellesstart-menn-heat1- A sprint and a mass-start: the full programme for the Norwegian opening races in Geilo, contested by the French men’s team
- A bump as you leave the stadium, an easy finish at the shooting range, a rolling track: everything you need to know about the Geilo Skiarena, the venue for Norway’s opening races.
- The names of the first seven Norwegians to qualify for the World Cup opener in Östersund are known
- Withdrew from the Geilo races because of her back, Ida Lien will not start the winter World Cup season
- “Everything collapsed”: Gro Randby’s season in jeopardy after being hit by a parasite
- Geilo: twelve Norwegians in the running for six World Cup tickets… including Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen, Johannes Dale-Skjevdal and Juni Arnekleiv
- Three men for one place: Antonin Guigonnat, Oscar Lombardot and Gaëtan Paturel will battle it out for the final ticket to the World Cup on 15 and 16 November in Geilo.
- “The aim is to take the selection”: how Antonin Guigonnat, Oscar Lombardot and Gaëtan Paturel are approaching the races in Geilo, where they are vying for a place in the World Cup.
- “Getting back into the swing of things”: Simon Fourcade unveils the French team’s objectives for this weekend’s competitions in Geilo
- Quentin Fillon-Maillet on the eve of the start of the Norwegian opening races in Geilo: “There’s a real desire to perform well already”.
- Two places up for grabs between Marek Mackels, Julien Petitjacques, Sam Parmantier and César Beauvais: the Belgians will also be in the squad for the opening Norwegian races in Geilo.
- “I’m not going to take any risks”: after returning from injury, Emilien Claude will not start the opening Norwegian races in Geilo
- Geilo: women’s sprint for Maren Kirkeeide one breath ahead of Marit Oeygard and Lotte Lie, Dorothea Wierer sixth
- Norwegian opening races in Geilo: Eric Perrot takes third place in the sprint won by Johan-Olav Botn ahead of Isak Frey
- “I can see that the form is there”: Eric Perrot’s reaction after his third place in the sprint at the Norwegian opening races in Geilo
- Geilo: Martin Nevland crushes the mass-start B of Norway’s opening races
- Geilo: the mass-start of the Norwegian opening races for Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, Dorothea Wierer third
