Biathlon: Julia Simon takes stock
Late on Sunday, biathlete Julia Simon from Les Saisies (Savoie) was a guest on RF1’s Mondial Sports programme. During her appearance on the premises of the radio station founded 50 years ago, the Beaufortaine native talked about her 2024/2025 winter.
“The balance sheet is very positive, but it was a very challenging season, she began. I think it gave me a lot of satisfaction at the end, but also a lot of difficulties at the start. It was a very difficult winter and I found it very hard to get going. My results were up and down, my shooting was complicated and I couldn’t get back to my skiing level. My target was the world championships in February, and the start of the season added to the pressure. That’s why there was a lot of pride afterwards in achieving this event.”
It has to be said that Julia Simon returned from Lenzerheide (Switzerland) with four gold medals to her name, including the individual medal, a format that had never previously suited her.
“Raphaël Poirée made me want to do biathlon”
“It’s a way of relaunching myself and telling myself that I didn’t finish. It was a big challenge for me because it was the only race I was missing, the only one I’d never won, she said. This season, I’ve won two individual races in a row, so it wasn’t by chance. It was a race against myself that allowed me to draw on my resources.”
Asked about the excellent level of all the girls in the French team, Julia Simon was delighted with the group’s success. “You clearly have to fight for your place, she admitted. At the moment, there’s incredible competition and you have to fight for it. It’s very interesting, the youngsters are trying to steal our place and that creates an incredible sense of competition. I feel like I’m living through the best years of French biathlon. But it’s good to feel the pressure, it keeps you going.”
The Radio France journalists also asked Julia Simon about her inspiration in biathlon. “Raphaël Poirée made me want to do biathlon, revealed the ten-time world champion. I was lucky enough to meet him when I was young and I had stars in my eyes. Behind him, I’d say Johannes [Thingnes] Boe for the career he’s had. He’s a simple, cheerful person! I’ve also drawn a lot of inspiration from women like Magdalena Neuner and Marte Olsbu Roeiseland.”
Looking forward to next winter
Finally, at the beginning of the month, Julia Simon spoke to the prestigious Le Figaro newspaper about the upcoming season.
“An Olympic year: that’s all that counts for any athlete. In Beijing, I was still quite young and lacking maturity, especially mentally. Today, I’m much better prepared and I have more weapons than I did then. I’m better able to meet expectations, whether they’re those of others or my own. When I try to imagine the next Olympic Games in Dorothea Wierer’s garden, I imagine a great moment”, she said, full of enthusiasm just a few days before resuming training.
- Julia Simon’s 2024/2025 season as seen by Cyril Burdet: “Her ability to bounce back and cope with difficulty is incredible”.
- Lenzerheide: Julia Simon crowned individual world champion, bronze for Lou Jeanmonnot
- Four titles in Lenzerheide: Julia Simon, queen of the 2025 World Championships
