Biathlon | Quentin Fillon-Maillet opens up one month before the start of the World Cup: “I feel like the last two years have wiped out my record of achievements and that I have to recreate everything”

Biathlon: a few days after his demonstrations in Arçon, Quentin Fillon-Maillet takes stock

Jura biathlete Quentin Fillon-Maillet had a media day on Thursday. After a morning training session at the Tuffes stadium in Prémanon (Jura) under the watchful eye of the cameras and the crackle of the photographers, the winner of the crystal globe in 2022 gave an online press briefing to a number of media, including Nordic Magazine.

An opportunity for Quentin Fillon-Mailletto talk about his summer, his past mistakes, his fine performances over the last few days in Arçon (Doubs) and his goals for the coming winter. Interview.

• You’ve just come off a great weekend of competition at Arçon (Doubs): do you feel you’ve returned to a level you haven’t been at for two years?

We go to Arçon every year, where I have my reference points, and even if it’s difficult to compare the years, it’s been a long time since I’ve had sensations like this at Arçon, whether in terms of speed of movement, shooting sensations or lucidity during the race. It’s very positive because it’s a very good benchmark for me. If I compare it to the last two preparations, it’s better. I’ve had some of the best French summer championships of my career, which is very encouraging. Now we have to prove it at the World Cup! I’m leaving with a definite advantage over the last two seasons.

• You have taken stock of the mistakes made during the two previous preparations, to avoid repeating them. What were they?

The mistake I made two years ago, after the Games, was that I found it hard to digest my Olympic season because of the fatigue and the demands. I wanted to base my preparation, which was going well, on the fact that I was so tired. That was my first mistake and I corrected it by managing my state of physical and mental fatigue. Sometimes you can train for a fortnight and think that everything’s going well, only to have a knock-on effect in the third.

I’ve been able to manage all that better by getting to know myself better and using the test methods available to us. The fact that I’ve been able to recover better and manage my state of fitness better has enabled me to do a 100% summer programme. Last year, my preparation was lacklustre and I only got back to a good standard in September. I focused on preparing fully by saying no to a lot of things and cutting back on certain aspects of my private life.

• Did doubt creep in during your last two seasons?

There’s always doubt, even when it all works out! After the Games, I realised that quite a few lines had been ticked off my list of achievements in just one season. Maybe there was a drop in motivation that I didn’t feel. In 2021/2022, which was the year or never after being third in the overall rankings three times, I had a lot of doubts.

I’ve got a bit of a feeling that the last two years have wiped out my record of achievements and that I’ve got to recreate everything. That’s a great source of motivation for me. I’m going to use the good races of the previous years and I tell myself that I have to go and get things done. It certainly puts me under doubt and stress, but I think it’s the right approach.

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• How do you get through a season without a win when you’re a competitor like yourself?

At first, it was a bit hard to understand… You want it to work and you’re waiting for it to. Then you get angry because it’s getting on your nerves (sic), but then you accept things and try to find solutions as best you can. It’s a tough job. When you get used to getting results and they don’t come, it’s infuriating and it makes me sad. It was hard to live with. I haven’t always been happy these last two seasons, but I accept that because you can’t win all the time. It’s part of the sporting project. I want to recreate a positive dynamic by being happy with myself when I cross the finish line. I want to try to detach myself in part from the result and focus on myself.

• Even so, we can imagine that you have your sights set on the season ahead…

If everything has to be redone as I said, you can imagine what I want to achieve! The priority will be the world championships, with an individual title, which is missing from my list of achievements, to go after. I’m regularly on the podium, but I’d like to turn that into gold. After that, I’m very keen to place myself in the overall classification, which will be a real battle. I know how much endurance I have over a season and how much mental strength I have to cope with that kind of pressure.

• What have Jean-Pierre Amat and Simon Fourcade done for you since they took over?

Jean-Pierre [Amat] is a very intelligent man with a wealth of experience in sport. He’s like a library where you can look for information when you need it. He’s immediately able to reassure us or find a solution. What I like about him is that he’s open-minded and always takes into account our perception, our way of working and our experience.

Simon [Fourcade] was a World Cup athlete and experienced the things we experience. He’s trying to translate that with some of his vision and also his freedom of thought about the way we operate. He has managed to understand us. We’re starting to reap the rewards of the project on the physical side, particularly with better energy management. Collectively, I think we have a stronger team than last year. The working atmosphere is good, and things are moving in the right direction with the youngsters pushing us to be better! We can’t rest on our laurels.

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