Biathlon: Justine Braisaz-Bouchet found herself at the right time
In January, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet suffered a series of setbacks on the biathlon World Cup circuit. She began the German-Italian tour with a fourth place in the sprint in Oberhof (Germany), but then failed to return to the top 6. Thirty-second in the individual race in Ruhpolding (Germany) and then twenty-ninth in the mass-start held at the same venue, she also failed to find the key in Antholz (Italy).
The reigning Olympic mass-start champion had even the worst statistics on the mats of the great ladies of the circuit. Dropping to ninth in the world rankings, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet went into the World Championships as the fifth-ranked Frenchwoman.
However, since the Italian races, the Beaufortaine has returned home to recharge her batteries.“It’s a huge support, especially when you’re preparing for events like this,” she admitted toEurosport in the mixed zone after becoming world sprint champion in Lenzerheide (Switzerland). Justine Braisaz-Bouchet was back to her best on Friday afternoon, as if by magic.
“Until the last inter, I didn’t believe I could win”.
“I’m very moved. It’s one of the races that moves me the most, she explained on La Chaîne L’Equipe. Certainly because of the battles I’ve been fighting inside, because these are the world championships too. The last few weeks have been very colourful. January was a difficult month, and I was very tired both physically and mentally. There are ups and downs, that’s top-level sport. [The wheel turns.”
However, at the end of the standing shot, it was still all to play for Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (9/10), who was third, 2.9 seconds behind Germany’s Franziska Preuss. “There was a lot of suspense right up to the end and I didn’t think I could win until the last interval,” she said. In the end, it was by a margin of almost 10 seconds that the Frenchwoman, now four-time world champion, won.
She received the gold medal at the top of the podium in front of the grandstand at Roland Arena, and was able to enjoy the moment during La Marseillaise. “These are historic moments in sport. It’s a time when you’re on cloud nine and a lot of memories come flooding back. I had memories of the last few weeks at home. It’s a beautiful moment,” she concludes.
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