Biathlon: the emotion of Eric Perrot’s first coach
On Wednesday afternoon in Lenzerheide (Switzerland), Eric Perrot became world champion in the individual event. With a 19/20 behind his rifle and the best cross-country skiing time, the Peiserot put on a demonstration performance and won by more than 50 seconds from Italy’s Tommaso Giacomel.
His victory made the Savoyard the fifth Frenchman to be crowned solo biathlon world champion. At home in Peisey-Vallandry (Savoie), one man in particular was moved by this historic success: Cyril Cleyrat, his first coach at the local ski club.
“I think you can imagine how much fun it is, he tells Nordic Magazine. Two days ago, after his bronze medal in the pursuit, I just sent him a little message telling him to keep enjoying himself and to play with humility and that the title would come on its own… And now, two days later, he’s world champion! That’s great.”
“It’s great to have a world champion in your ranks as a club coach”
The manEric Perrot likes to call his “base coach” was leading a training session during the Swiss individual.
“I was with my young people, his club mates! At one point, I had to take the wheel and I followed it on audio. I was going crazy, especially when [Tommaso] Giacomel missed his ball! It brought tears to my eyes… So much hard work and years of training have paid off, he says. Eric [Perrot] is just a great guy and this makes it all come together. It’s great for a club coach to have a world champion in his ranks, it’s a dream! I’ve already won twice in relays, but as an individual it’s got a whole new flavour.”
The link between the new individual world champion and his long-standing club has never been broken. He never hesitates to come and train alongside the up-and-coming Peiserote team, for whom he is a star.
At the end of last winter, also recalls that he went to help out his team, which was placed in the second division, at the French club championships. A cut above the rest, Eric Perrot helped Peisey-Vallandry to second place. “It was magical for everyone, for him, for me and for the youngsters,” recalls Cyril Cleyrat.
Eric Perrot on the cover of Nordic Magazine: CLICK HERE TO BUY THIS ISSUE
- The full programme for the World Championships in Lenzerheide, the highlight of the 2024/2025 season
- Léna Arnaud: my best memory of… Lenzerheide
- Swiss biathlete Arnaud Du Pasquier presents the Roland Arena, the Lenzerheide stadium used for the 2025 World Championships
- Delphyne Burlet on the challenges of the Lenzerheide world championships
- Lenzerheide: France, with Julia Simon, Lou Jeanmonnot, Eric Perrot and Emilien Jacquelin, retain their world mixed relay title
- “We couldn’t have got off to a better start than this”: the perfect start for the French team, which won gold in the mixed relay at the world championships in Lenzerheide.
- “It was fun”: during the mixed relay at the World Championships in Lenzerheide, Britain’s Shawna Pendry was surprised to ski with her idol Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold.
- Lenzerheide: Justine Braisaz-Bouchet’s day of glory, crowned world sprint champion ahead of Franziska Preuss and Suvi Minkkinen
- “The wheel turns”: how Justine Braisaz-Bouchet became world sprint champion in Lenzerheide after a difficult January
- “I’m very proud”: Maya Cloetens tells Nordic Magazine how she made Belgian biathlon history by finishing eighth in the sprint at the World Championships in Lenzerheide.
- Lenzerheide: Johannes Thingnes Boe crushes the sprint to win a fourth world gold medal in the discipline, Quentin Fillon-Maillet gets a tan
- Lenzerheide: Johannes Thingnes Boe wins the sprint to become the most gold medal-winning biathlete in the history of the World Championships
- “Winning a first medal feels great”: bronze in the Lenzerheide sprint, Quentin Fillon-Maillet kicks off his World Championships in style
- 65th in the Lenzerheide sprint, Gaia Brunello achieved Brazil’s best result at the Worlds: “A dream come true”.
- Lenzerheide: untouchable at 20/20, Franziska Preuss wins the world pursuit title, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet takes bronze
- “I was three metres too short”. Justine Braisaz-Bouchet was close to silver in the pursuit at the world championships in Lenzerheide.
- Lenzerheide: Johannes Thingnes Boe pursuit world champion ahead of the astonishing Campbell Wright, Eric Perrot in bronze
- The greatest of all time: gold in the pursuit at Lenzerheide, Johannes Thingnes Boe is the most successful individual biathlete in history
- Lenzerheide: Eric Perrot, the eleventh French medallist in an individual World Championship race
- “I had to fill it up and I filled it up”: how Eric Perrot climbed twelve places to win bronze in the pursuit at the World Championships in Lenzerheide
- Lenzerheide: what do they say about Campbell Wright’s exploits in New Zealand?
- “He had to change his shooting line because of a mistake by another biathlete”: why did the jury reclassify Jakov Fak in sixth place in the pursuit at the World Championships in Lenzerheide?
- Franco-British Chloé Dupont, currently competing in the world championships in Lenzerheide: “It’s very motivating”.
- Lenzerheide: Marie Dorin-Habert reviews the first week of the World Championships
- Five medals in five races, including two golds: Les Bleus get off to a flying start at the world championships in Lenzerheide
- Thanks to the title won by Justine Braisaz-Bouchet in Lenzerheide, the French women’s team will have five quotas for the sprint at the 2027 World Championships in Otepää, unless…
- Lenzerheide: Tiril Eckhoff and Ole Einar Bjoerndalen sound the alarm after Norway’s poor performances in the first week of the World Championships
- “She’s a metronome”: Lou Jeanmonnot, undefeated this winter in the format, is the great favourite for the individual at the World Championships in Lenzerheide.
- Lenzerheide: Julia Simon crowned individual world champion, bronze for Lou Jeanmonnot
- Lenzerheide: Julia Simon, the fourth French individual world champion
- “Nothing could take me out of my race”: how Julia Simon became individual world champion for the first time in Lenzerheide
- “I didn’t take it well when I missed on the first shot”: after a difficult start to her individual competition in Lenzerheide, Lou Jeanmonnot bounced back to win bronze at the World Championships.
- Lenzerheide: Julia Simon’s photo album with her gold medal from the individual event at the World Championships
- Lou Jeanmonnot’s photo album with her bronze medal in the individual event at the World Championships in Lenzerheide
- “I’m speechless”: a fantastic second in the individual World Championships, Ella Halvarsson makes Sweden shine in Lenzerheide
- “I lost my concentration”: in contention for a new title at the World Championships in Lenzerheide, Franziska Preuss broke down on the last shot of the individual event.
- “I’ve been unlucky again”: 71st in the individual event at the World Championships in Lenzerheide, Anamarija Lampic broke the elastic band on her rifle mid-shot.
- Seven medals, three of them gold: halfway through the World Championships in Lenzerheide, France is on course to beat the Nove Mesto 2024 record.
- Lenzerheide: Peiserot Eric Perrot becomes individual world champion, bronze for Quentin Fillon-Maillet
- Lenzerheide: Eric Perrot becomes the fifth French individual gold medallist at the World Championships
- “What an honour to be able to follow in the footsteps of great champions”: at 23, Eric Perrot is crowned individual world champion
- “He’s a great man, and he’ll continue to be”: Simon Fourcade’s joy after Eric Perrot won the world title in the individual event in Lenzerheide
- “Strong impression”, “What a race”, “Far superior performance”: Eric Perrot’s first world title as seen by the international press
- Lenzerheide: new individual world champion, Eric Perrot has his hair shorn on the podium
- “It’s a wonderful feeling”: in Lenzerheide, Tommaso Giacomel won his first ever individual world medal
- “I would have signed up at the start of the Worlds for results like these”: even without a gold medal, Quentin Fillon-Maillet, twice tanned, is smiling again.
- “It’s a little frustrating”: Niklas Hartweg came within a whisker of a medal in the individual at the World Championships in Lenzerheide
- Lenzerheide: Finland’s Olli Hiidensalo dedicates his great race to his baby
- “What an honour to be able to follow in the footsteps of great champions”: at 23, Eric Perrot is crowned individual world champion
- “I’m terribly disappointed by my last shot”: Michal Krcmar, close to a medal in the individual event at the Lenzerheide World Championships.
- Lenzerheide: Eric Perrot’s photo album with the gold medal he won in the individual event at the world championships
- Lenzerheide: Quentin Fillon-Maillet’s photo album with his bronze medal from the individual event at the world championships
