Biathlon: end of preparation disrupted by illness for Emilien Claude
Like Antonin Guigonnat and Oscar Lombardot, his main rivals, Emilien Claude will be playing for big points this week in the sprints at the IBU Biathlon Cup in Idre Fjäll (Sweden). At these international races, the man from the Vosges will be trying to secure one of the two places at stake for the individual events at the World Cup in Kontiolahti (Finland).
But the man from Bassur hada tricky end to his preparations on the snow at Bessans (Savoie).
“I’m one of those people who’s been ill. It wasn’t a major illness, but it prevented me from taking part in the first sprint of the selections [he was pre-qualified, editor’s note], Emilien Claude tells Nordic Magazine. From day to day, I had high hopes that it would get better, but it didn’t and I preferred not to push myself rather than take the risk of it getting worse with ten days to go before important races and the opening of the season.”
“I think I have the weapons and the form to do well, as long as I shoot well”
Since then, things have improved for the three-time 2021 Junior World Champion. He was even able to train at Les Saisies (Savoie) before leaving for Sweden on Monday: “I set a time on Saturday, but I saw that it wasn’t enough yet, he regrets. I’m not sure what I’ll be eating at Idre Fjäll. I’ll have to see whether I’ll have time to get back into good shape between now and then or whether it’ll remain average. Nevertheless, I think I’ve got the weapons and the form to do well, provided I shoot well. More generally, I think that my form will improve at the start of the season as the races go on.”
It was a similar speech to that of Anaëlle Bondoux, who was also struck down by the disease a few weeks ago in Bessans. Except that the biathlete from Basse-sur-le-Rupt (Vosges) will have to get down to business straight away if she is to secure her ticket to the World Cup.
“I don’t know if any biathletes can currently say that they are at 100%. No one knows exactly where they stand, he says. Even those who have raced [in Bessans], at 1,800 metres, it’s still a bit special and that was ten days ago now. At this hour, nobody really knows if all the lights are green. After that, of course, it’s not ideal, but I have no choice. I think it would have been worse if I’d made my situation worse by doing one or two races in Bessans. I’m happy with my choice and the aim is to get as far as Le Grand-Bornand, with a big month of racing to follow… even though I’m still in the IBU Cup.”
He hopes to achieve a shooting success rate of around 90%
With just a few days to go before two very important sprints at Idre Fjäll, a place he loves in particular for its cross-country ski track, Emilien Claude doesn’t want to put any unnecessary pressure on himself.
“I’m trying to approach it like any other race. Of course, these races will be important, but so will every weekend. This one perhaps a little more so, but that doesn’t change much in terms of what I have to do, says the boyfriend of Austrian Anna Gandler. After the last two seasons of ups and downs, my aim this weekend and throughout the season will be to be very consistent and to put in some very good performances at each race. That’s going to require a lot of little things to be controlled throughout the season, particularly in terms of health and shooting.”
The 25-year-old wants to be consistent all winter, hitting around 90% on the mats. “I’ve never had a season with more than 86%, so I’d like to beat that. If I can do that, I’ll be getting closer to good performances”, he says after a smooth preparation… until this autumn illness.
He doesn’t want to waste any more time
Back in June, just a few weeks after his switch from France A to France B was made official, Emilien Claude confessed in our columns that he didn’t want to waste any more time. A selection for the World Cup in the next few days would therefore come at just the right time.
“The aim is really to qualify, but it doesn’t just depend on me because the competition is going to be tough. There’s a chance that I’ll qualify, but it’s also possible that I won’t make it through and my season won’t stop, he explains. Over the last two years, I’ve started each time in the World Cup and I was in the IBU Cup at the start of January, a bit down in the dumps physically. If things don’t work out this week, I might do the opposite and come back to the World Cup at the start of 2025.”
They will be playing for two places in the World Cup at the two sprints in Idre Fjäll (Sweden) at the IBU Cup on 28 and 30 November.
- Oscar Lombardot – Entente Sportive Saugette (Massif Jurassien) 🇫🇷
- Emilien Claude – ARMÉE DE CHAMPIONS / Basse sur Le Rupt Nordic skiing (Massif des Vosges) 🇫🇷
- Antonin Guigonnat – ARMY OF CHAMPIONS / Ski Club Morzine Avoriaz (Mont Blanc) 🇫🇷
- Théo Guiraud-Poillot – Ski Club Villard sur Boëge (Mont Blanc) 🇫🇷
- Axel Garnier – Ski Club Sallanches (Mont Blanc) 🇫🇷
- Gaëtan Paturel – SCN Pays Rochois (Mont Blanc) 🇫🇷
- The last two men’s World Cup places will be decided in the sprints at the IBU Cup in Idre Fjäll
- Firsts for Martin Botet, Axel Garnier and Voldiya Galmace-Paulin: the full French team selection for the IBU Cups in Idre Fjäll and Geilo
- “I’ll have to be a natural to produce my biathlon at 100% of what I know how to do”: Oscar Lombardot prepares to stake his place in the World Cup at the IBU Cup in Idre Fjäll
- Théo Guiraud-Poillot’s ambitions a few days before the start of the IBU Cup: “I’m not necessarily aiming for the World Cup at the start of the season, but…”.
- “I’m on the way up and in great shape”: the joy of Axel Garnier from Haut-Savoie, who has qualified for the IBU Cup for the first time.
- Emilien Claude, who moved from Group A to Group B in the French national team in the spring: “I don’t want to waste any more time”.
- “A great experience with the brothers”: Emilien Claude talks about the Summer Worlds in Otepää
