Biathlon: Lou Jeanmonnot found
In Grand-Bornand (Haute-Savoie), the week before Christmas, Lou Jeanmonnot didn’t shine. Thirty-fifth in the sprint, eighteenth in the pursuit and fourteenth in the mass-start, the Doubiste rider from Olympic Mont d’Or didn’t look her best.
It was because the outgoing winner of the small globe in the mass start had let herself be overtaken by events. “I wasn’t at all serene because I didn’t deal well with the emotions, the stress, the pressure, the stakes, she explained in a video conference on Saturday afternoon after her success in the pursuit in Oberhof (Germany). It’s mainly because of that that I’ve messed up my races.”
So, to get back to her best on the mats, Lou Jeanmonnot has taken refuge in mental work.
“The aim was to gain a better understanding of what I need to do and when, she reveals. It means having a better understanding of my emotions, my form and what I’m capable of doing. All that while staying focused on how I do it and not on what’s going on outside. It’s easier to do that here, at Oberhof, than at Le Grand-Bornand where the context of the race is heavier.”
She overtakes Franziska Preuss in the overall rankings
Winner of the Thuringia pursuit on Saturday lunchtime, Lou Jeanmonnot reminded her rivals of her success. And she did it all with a solid 19/20. “When I crossed the line, there was] satisfaction at having run a good race. I’m relieved to have managed to find the keys to a challenge that I had to face in Grand-Bornand. Nothing can be taken for granted, but I think I’ve understood a few things”, she enthuses.
“Overall, I’ve always been confident behind the rifle, she continues. In Grand-Bornand, I didn’t listen to what was going on inside me, in my head, but rather to what was going on around me. It wasn’t confidence on my part, but a poor adaptation to a fairly intense psychological change. All in all, this 19/20 is good news because I went on three or four runs with some bad shots.”
With this success, and Franziska Preuss‘s difficult week, Lou Jeanmonnot is now 116 points behind the German in the overall rankings. “I’m looking at the rankings, but I know that the season is very long and that doesn’t mean anything at the moment, she admits. I had a great break at Le Grand-Bornand and Franziska [Preuss] didn’t score many points this week. Things move extremely quickly, so we’ll make our calculations at the end of the season.”
- The full programme for the Oberhof World Cup, the fourth stage of the 2024/2025 season
- Corinne Niogret: my best memory of… Oberhof
- Oberhof: Paula Botet, with 10/10, dominates the sprint and wins her first World Cup title
- “I realise it, but I think it’s crazy”: Paula Botet recounts her improbable victory in the Oberhof World Cup sprint
- “With the difficulties she’s faced over the last two seasons, this is exceptional”: Cyril Burdet touched by Paula Botet’s performance at Oberhof
- Oberhof: the photo album of Paula Botet’s first World Cup victory
- Oberhof: Paula Botet, the thirteenth Frenchwoman to win individually on the World Cup circuit
- “Her victory is proof that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”: Paula Botet’s first World Cup success as seen by Chloé Remy, a lifelong friend and former team-mate.
- Oberhof: third in the sprint, Bulgarian Milena Todorova gives Bulgaria its first women’s World Cup podium since… 13 March 2004
- “I wanted to fight with the weapons of the day”: Océane Michelon, who was suffering from flu, won her very first flowers ceremony at the Oberhof sprint.
- Oberhof: victory for Quentin Fillon-Maillet in the sprint, Fabien Claude and Emilien Jacquelin give France a treble
- Oberhof: foreign media impressed by the hat-trick of Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Fabien Claude and Emilien Jacquelin
- Quentin Fillon-Maillet after his success in the Oberhof sprint: “It was a tough road back to victory”.
- The photo album of the magnificent triple win by Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Fabien Claude and Emilien Jacquelin in the Oberhof sprint
- “Every time I fired, the shot went off randomly…”. Eighth in the Oberhof sprint, Emilien Claude found the problem with his rifle and achieved the best World Cup result of his career.
- “It’s the setting that had the biggest effect on my position”: 2 centimetres added to the back of Quentin Fillon-Maillet’s rifle, the secret of his success in the Oberhof sprint.
- Östersund 2019, Kontiolahti 2020, Oberhof 2025: Quentin Fillon-Maillet, the man behind the French men’s team’s three World Cup trebles
- Paula Botet to replace Sophie Chauveau: the French selection for the Oberhof World Cup
- “She completely deserves to go up”: why the team staff decided to replace Sophie Chauveau with Paula Botet for the Oberhof World Cup
- “I can’t ski with the athletes”: Simon Fourcade, coach of the French men’s team, ruptures the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee
