Biathlon: first outing abroad for Thémice Fontaine
Next week, several French biathletes will be discovering the Junior Cup circuit at the Goms stadium (Switzerland), located in the Goms valley. Among them is Thémice Fontaine from Savoie.
At 20, the daughter of Leïla Piccard (sister of Franck Piccard, world bronze medallist in the giant slalom in 1997) had never before won an international selection. It was in Bessans (Savoie) last weekend that this great first took place.
“On the first day, I skied some good times, but I shot 6/10. I was in a bit of a panic because that’s not what I’d worked on or what I wanted to achieve,” the member of the Club des Sports des Saisies tells Nordic Magazine. In the mass start, I really managed to get my shooting back on track, putting the balls down to stay in my bubble.
“I want to stick to the same pattern and not invent anything just because it’s international”.
With a score of 18/20, Thémice Fontaine, a pupil of Franck Perrot’s in the Savoie Nordic team, has won her selection. The hard work and dedication of the last two years have paid off, so I’m pleased,” she admits with a touch of emotion. I don’t think it’s luck. I’ve worked for it and I’ve done it!
It has to be said that this international circuit reserved for U21s was La Beaufortaine’s objective for the season.
I wanted to go so that I could gain experience and benchmarks for the future, especially as I’m in my final year as a junior“, says this DUT Tech de Co student from Annecy (Haute-Savoie). Thanks to this, by the time I get to the IBU Cup, I won’t be totally lost and I’ll already have some international reference points.
Proud to have managed to qualify after recovering from a disappointing first race, Thémice Fontaine admits she wasn’t quite sure what to expect from her first outing abroad.
I’m going to try and get some reference points and validate everything I’ve put in place this summer and in the French Cup,” she says. I want to stick to the same pattern and not invent anything just because it’s an international tournament.
- The French team selection for the Junior Cup in Goms
- “I’m proud of myself for not giving up”: Maëla Correia, qualifies for the Junior Cup for the first time after a rollercoaster selection process
- “The closer I get to them, the closer I get to the international scene”: find out more about Thémice Fontaine, a member of Equipe Savoie Nordique alongside former members of FFS groups.
