Biathlon: Les Bleus are in the game
This weekend, at the opening Norwegian biathlon races in Sjusjøen(Norway), the Frenchmen Oscar Lombardot, Fabien Claude, Eric Perrot, Quentin Fillon-Maillet and Emilien Jacquelin came to face the best biathletes in the world. But also, and above all, confidence.
“We’re clearly here to gain confidence, especially as we’re in a fairly comfortable situation because we have nothing to play for, Simon Fourcade told Nordic Magazine a few days before the competitions. We’ll see at the end of the weekend if the work we’ve put in is paying off.”
As we take stock of the Norwegian jousts – marked by the flower ceremonies forEric Perrot, Fabien Claude and Emilien Jacquelin – there is a sense of satisfaction in the French clan. The group coached by Simon Fourcade and Jean-Pierre Amat seems to be in fine form on the cross-country track.
They were reassured
“We’re really pleased because the guys all showed they were up to the task, Stéphane Bouthiaux, director of the French biathlon teams, told La Chaîne L’Equipe. We came here looking for competition and we knew what to expect, so we’re pleased with the results.” “It’s very satisfying for the end of the run-in,” added the Catalan coach.
As far as the athletes are concerned, and in particular Quentin Fillon-Maillet from the Jura, confidence is high with less than two weeks to go before the start of the World Cup. “Despite everything, I’m happy with quite a few things and things will continue to build,” he said after a failed sprint and a mass-start finish in the top 10.
“I’m taking away a lot of positives, says Villardien Emilien Jacquelin. I think I’ve learnt a lot from this weekend. The form is there, and so are the watts. That’s good for the future, and I’ll be able to build on it and sleep easy. Quite a few of us in the team feel reassured, the work has been well done.”
For his part, Peiserot Eric Perrot, who could emerge as the group’s leader over the winter, explains that he is “happy to be more in the game”. “It’s a lot of positives to take into the next few weeks, he adds. It’s good to feel that we’re on the right wave.”
- Norwegian opening races in Sjusjøen: mass-start for Endre Stroemsheim, Emilien Jacquelin, Quentin Fillon-Maillet and Eric Perrot in the top 10
- Sjusjøen: despite a scare on the last shot, Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold wins the mass-start ahead of Maren Kirkeeide and Dorothea Wierer
- Back on the podium in Sjusjøen, Dorothea Wierer is in good shape ahead of the World Cup: “I remain optimistic for the future”.
- Norwegian opening races in Sjusjøen: Florent Claude on the mass-start B podium
- Norwegian opening races in Sjusjøen: Eric Perrot fourth in the sprint won by Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen, Fabien Claude fifth
- Tenth in the Sjusjøen sprint, Johannes Thingnes Boe is still breaking in
- “A good first race”, “I’ll remember the 9/10 above all”: Eric Perrot and Fabien Claude, fourth and fifth in the Sjusjøen sprint, are satisfied.
- “The aim is to be consistent throughout the season”: in Sjusjøen, Emilien Jacquelin launches his shooting career once again
- Sjusjøen: Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold strongest in the sprint of the Norwegian opening races, Anastasiya Kuzmina surprisingly fourth
- A solid winner of the Sjusjøen sprint, Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold has put her mind at rest after a troubled summer.
- The full programme of Norwegian opening races at Sjusjøen in which the French will be taking part
- Norwegian opening races in Sjusjøen: who will French riders Julie Baverel, Oscar Lombardot, Fabien Claude, Eric Perrot, Quentin Fillon-Maillet and Emilien Jacquelin be up against?
- “The signs are pretty much green for everyone”: Oscar Lombardot, Fabien Claude, Eric Perrot, Quentin Fillon-Maillet and Emilien Jacquelin training on the snow at Sjusjøen
- “A real mouth-watering start to the season”: the day the French men’s team set off on their training camp in Sjusjøen
- Dorothea Wierer and the Italian men’s national team head for Sjusjøen
- Before Les Bleus arrive, Sjusjøen opens its first cross-country ski run
- Relief for Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold: the Norwegian should be ready for the races at Sjusjøen
