Biathlon | Review of last season, new goals, double project… Justine Braisaz-Bouchet is the guest of Nordic Magazine: “It’s not always easy to combine my two lives”

Biathlon: Justine Braisaz-Bouchet talks to Nordic Magazine

Last winter, in her first season as a mother biathlete, 28-year-old Justine Braisaz-Bouchet from Beaufort put in some remarkable performances. Demonstrating a whole new level of consistency, she completed a hat-trick of sprint/pursuit/mass-start titles in Lenzerheide (Switzerland), wore the yellow bib as overall World Cup leader and won five medals, including three golds (relay, relay, mass-start), at the World Championships in Nove Mesto (Czech Republic).

For Nordic Magazine, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet talks about this exercise, but also about her current state of fitness, her goals for the coming season and the challenges inherent in life as a mother and top-level sportswoman. Interview.

• With the benefit of hindsight, seven months after its conclusion, how do you assess your 2023/2024 season, when you returned to competition after a year’s break to become a mother?

I think it’s been a great season. It’s been effective and rich. Effective, because the results were extremely good. I had some objectives and I managed to achieve them… even beyond my expectations. In particular, I was able to play a general, something I’d never imagined I’d be able to do after returning to competition post-partum. I was also rich in the sense that I was able to play this general role by trying to pick up points by being present in every race. However, there were some things that were missing, that I didn’t do well. I think I can now look back on the mistakes I made last winter.

• What are these mistakes?

What bothers me most in winter is my sleep during competitions. Sleep is one of the pillars of recovery for sportsmen and women, but also for everyone in normal life! It’s extremely important and, with the succession of races, it was one of the reasons why I was having trouble. I’m a fairly anxious person when it comes to sport and it was really last season that really struck a chord with me because there was a big contrast with my year of pregnancy when everything was running smoothly and was very straightforward with a very relaxed approach. Getting back into competition has shaken me up a bit. In particular, I’m working with a mental coach to find the keys and change things so that I can achieve my goals.

• In managing your two lives, as a mother and as a top-level sportswoman, were you able to do everything as you wanted and hoped during the winter, or were there moments of frustration?

[She laughs] My husband Julien [Bouchet] and I tried to anticipate and imagine the winter in terms of organisation and logistics, to see how I could spend time with my family and see Côme, whether in competition or at home during the recovery periods. Things went well in the first part of the season, but then fatigue got the better of me and the family. There was the time difference, Côme was growing up and his needs were changing. There are times when I’m clearly overwhelmed. It’s not just during the winter, but also during the preparation period. Even though we have an organisation entirely dedicated to this double project, especially the parental leave that Julien [Bouchet] has taken, there are plenty of times when we’re overwhelmed.

• So it’s not easy to combine being a mum with being a biathlon champion…

It’s clear that it’s not always easy to combine my two lives. At this stage of my career, however, I’m aware that recovery and mental and physical rest have a monstrous impact. I try to think like that and adapt. In fact, I’m right in the middle of it, because the preparation has been pretty heavy! I’ve managed to do everything I wanted to do and that’s had an impact on my energy levels. We’re just a few weeks into the season and I’m going to have to rest up before Bessans.

• So, how are you with a month to go before the start of the World Cup?

I worked well, with quite a lot of volume. Cyril [Burdet]’s programming is dense, but I really enjoy it because it takes me out of my comfort zone. There comes a time, though, when I try to listen more to the woman and the mother than to the athlete. I’m still talking to the coaches, but I’m still listening. I’m feeling tired at the moment, but there’s nothing abnormal or alarming because this workload will pay off if I’m smart all the way through preparation.

• What are your ambitions for the winter ahead?

Quite honestly, the Worlds are the most important stage of the season, but we’ll see when the time comes. I’m thinking more about the start of winter and the season as a whole, being able to manage the physical side and the logistics with my family. To be very specific, one of my dreams is to reach the big globe at the end of the season, which is the Holy Grail of biathlon. I’ve still got several seasons to do it, but it’s already a goal for this winter. To do that, I’ll have to perform at my level at every stage. We’ll really start thinking about that at the end of the season when we start counting the points. After the Worlds, then.

• Cyril Burdet on Justine Braisaz-Bouchet’s 2023/2024 season: “She realised that she was capable of being consistent”.
• Martin Fourcade Nordic Festival: Julia Simon wins the mass-start ahead of Justine Braisaz-Bouchet
• Justine Braisaz-Bouchet after her podium finish at the Martin Fourcade Nordic Festival: “This kind of race does a lot to promote winter sports”.
• Justine Braisaz-Bouchet in fine form in the individual event at the Summer Cup in Switzerland
• No skiing in Ramsau with the rest of the French team for Justine Braisaz-Bouchet… who is training in Antholz