Biathlon: France’s final ticket to the World Championships at stake this week at the IBU Cup
Ever since the French Ski Federation (FFS) announced the list of tricolours selected for the biathlon world championships in Lenzerheide (Switzerland), we’ve known that the IBU Cup in Ridnaun-Val Ridanna (Italy) was going to be the scene of the battle for the last women’s ticket, that of substitute.
As Stéphane Bouthiaux, director of the French national teams, explained in our columns, three biathletes are involved in this confrontation: Paula Botet, Sophie Chauveau and Gilonne Guigonnat: Paula Botet, Sophie Chauveau and Gilonne Guigonnat.
“These are the three who have set foot in the World Cup. This season, Sophie [Chauveau] has a podium, Paula [Botet] a victory and Gilonne [Guigonnat] a top 10 and a podium at the end of last winter. They’re not playing in the same league as the others,” former Les Bleues coach Frédéric Jean tells Nordic Magazine.
This means that Camille Bened, Voldiya Galmace-Paulin and Amandine Mengin are not involved in this match for a ticket to the Worlds.
Different profiles for the three protagonists
“They each have their own profile, he continues. There’s Gilonne [Guigonnat] who came back from illness at the European Championships, where she tried to get back into shape physically. She realised that with her illness, it was difficult to do race after race. This time, she was able to rest for two days and get back into the swing of things at a venue where she’s already won the IBU Cup.”
Next up is Sophie Chauveau from Bornand, who “is still on a good note from the European Championships, even though she missed out a little on some high-stakes standing shots. She’s coming to Ridanna with a bit of confidence and certainly wanting to make up for the mistakes she made last week”.
The case of Paula Botet from the Vosges is different. She was able to rest and recharge her batteries last week after three weeks of World Cup racing.
“She won the World Cup at the beginning of January and could have folded the sheet afterwards, says Frédéric Jean. As she didn’t confirm her individual performance straight away, she now has to come back to the IBU Cup to compete for this last place. She has shown that she is solid in the World Cup, particularly by finishing on the podium in the relays when she was there.”
A stadium, an arena for confrontation, less difficult than that of Martell-Val Martello
For the three biathletes, the aim will be to be the best over the whole week , which includes a sprint on Wednesday, a pursuit on Friday and a Mass Start 60 on Saturday.
“It’s only slightly lower than Martell in terms of altitude, but it’s still high. What changes things is the profile of the track, which is less demanding. Here, it’s a little more rolling with a different, less difficult arrival at the shooting range”, concludes Frédéric Jean on the subject of the battleground.
- The full programme for the Ridnaun-Val Ridanna IBU Cup, the seventh stage of the 2024/2025 B circuit season
- Paula Botet back in contention for a place at the World Championships, only four boys: the French team selection for the IBU Cup in Ridnaun-Val Ridanna
- “We’ve decided to pit them against each other in the IBU Cup”: Paula Botet, Sophie Chauveau and Gilonne Guigonnat will battle it out for sixth place at the Worlds in Ridnaun-Val Ridanna.
