Biathlon: Les Bleus aim for treble
This Saturday, Fabien Claude and Julia Simon have the chance to make even more history at the Biathlon auf Schalke World Team Challenge. Winners of the last two editions of this exhibition held at the football stadium in Gelsenkirchen (Germany), the French pair could make it three in a row if they win again.
“The fact that we won our first two editions together with Julia [Simon] makes you want to come back every time. Above all, we’re the defending champions, so we have to defend our title, Fabien Claude explained to Nordic Magazine at midday, a few hours before the start of hostilities. The aim is to do the historic hat trick.”
To do so, Les Bleus will have to overcome Norway’s Karoline Knotten and Sturla Holm Lægreid. A duo that the Vosges native considers favourites alongside the French team. “Germany are not far behind with [Franziska] Preuss and [Philipp] Nawrath, he says. After that, it’s still biathlon and we’ll need all the ingredients to succeed.”
Her mum behind the twin
The key to success will be “super clean shots”. “Here, shooting time counts for a lot because the penalty rings are less than 10 seconds, explains Fabien Claude. With Julia [Simon], we have what it takes to succeed and perform very well. Last year, we had a very big margin, so we’re going to rely on that and tell ourselves that we’ll be ahead just by doing our job normally. We’re very confident in our abilities.”
At the end of the afternoon, Fabien Claude and Julia Simon will be performing at the VELTINS-Arena, in front of an audience of nearly 40,000. “It’s an atmosphere we’ve never experienced anywhere else. Even though we’re leaving Le Grand-Bornand, which is incredible, we find ourselves with twice the audience of a football stadium. It’s just a magnificent show,” enthuses the biathlete from Basse-sur-le-Rupt (Vosges).
Last but not least, Jean-Paul Giachino, who was supposed to make the trip like last year to take care of the French, had to pull out in the end, so it’s… Fabien Claude’s mum who will be behind the twin. “It’s going to be great to experience this as a family,” laughs the Olympic relay medallist.
- Julia Simon and Fabien Claude in search of an unprecedented treble: the full programme of the World Team Challenge 2024 scheduled for Saturday 28 December
- World Team Challenge 2024: the complete and official start list
- Entries, stakes, venue, format, route, prize money: all the information you need to know before the World Team Challenge 2024, where Julia Simon and Fabien Claude will represent France.
- World Team Challenge 2024: all Julia Simon and Fabien Claude’s opponents
- World Team Challenge: Julia Simon and Fabien Claude look back on their first two wins at the Biathlon auf Schalke in Gelsenkirchen
- No French juniors lining up for the Biathlon Talent Team Challenge auf Schalke 2024: the reasons
