Biathlon: Julia Simon training solo at La Féclaz
While the French biathletes put their cross-country skis back on at Bessans (Savoie) at the end of last week for the final training camp of the preparation season, Julia Simon, who has been suspended for a month by the FFS National Disciplinary Committee, is training on her own.
As our colleagues at L’Equipe have revealed, the team is currently based at the Alexis Bœuf stadium in La Féclaz (Savoie). As the snow hasn’t fallen in the Bauges and the resort has no snowfarming facilities, the Beaufortaine skier has been doing her sessions on ski-wheels… while keeping in touch with her coaches Cyril Burdet and Jean-Paul Giachino.
“She trains on her own. We’re in contact, just as we would be outside the training camps,” explains the former, who looks after the physical side of things. The sanction is clear: she’s not allowed to take part in training sessions and competitions, but fortunately she can train. […] She’s following a programme that has necessarily been modified because the deadlines are different, but she’s preparing herself.
“She manages to train properly and we maintain a normal relationship”.
It has to be said that Julia Simon will not be taking part in the opening round of the World Cup from 29 November to 7 December in Östersund (Sweden). She could return to the circuit from 12 to 14 December in Hochfilzen (Austria). It will be up to her to decide, as Stéphane Bouthiaux, the French biathlon boss, recently told Nordic Magazine.
I communicate with her by message and we had a little 15-minute video chat last night [Tuesday evening],” reveals Jean-Paul Giachino. She’s managing to train properly and we still have a normal relationship. It’s the same bond we maintained when she was excluded for those 5-6 months when she returned to the group from October [2023]. It’s exactly the same. She has a programme and she does her sessions. She has a bit more difficulty keeping her concentration throughout a session as far as shooting is concerned. That’s what she told me. It’s normal with these events.
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- The penalty has been imposed: Julia Simon has been suspended for six months, five of which have been suspended, by the French Ski Federation’s National Disciplinary Commission.
- No training camp or races in Bessans, unable to take part in the Östersund World Cup, eligible for selection for the Olympics: the sporting consequences of Julia Simon’s one-month suspension from the sport
- Julia Simon case: La Beaufortaine does not appeal against her one-month suspension
- Julia Simon suspended for one month: the Biathlon Integrity Unit is waiting for the end of the appeal period to “examine the decision”.
- After Julia Simon’s conviction and sporting suspension, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet says: “The only thing I need is respect and fair play”.
