Biathlon: Amandine Mengin takes part in her first World Cup pursuit on Sunday
This Friday afternoon, during the Biathlon World Cup sprint in Östersund (Sweden), Amandine Mengin from the Vosges had one main goal : to win a first pursuit on the most prestigious of circuits.
Last March, on her first appearance at the highest level in Oslo-Holmenkollen (Norway), she failed to do so. “ When you fall four places short of your goal, the only one I had, it’s sad”, she said at the time in our columns.
This time, the Bressaude didn’t miss a beat, finishing in fifty-eighth place, just over 2 minutes behind Finnish winner Suvi Minkkinen.
I’m happy to take this first World Cup chase because it was the objective I had set myself and it’s been achieved,” Amandine Mengin told Nordic Magazine. However, it’s not the way I wanted to do it.
“In shooting, I wasn’t able to put in place what I wanted, what I wanted to do”.
It has to be said that she shot 8/10, making a mistake on each of her passages on the mats.
“It was better on the skis than in the individual, but in the shooting, I wasn’t able to do what I wanted to do, what I wanted to do. It’s very frustrating because it wasn’t a great race. I’m not happy with the way I did it, even if the result means I can get past the pursuit”, she insists.
On Sunday, from 13:15, Amandine Mengin will start her first World Cup pursuit. ” I’m hoping for the best”, she concludes, although she will be well surrounded, with Swedish star Hanna Oeberg starting 1 second behind her and Slovakian legend Anastasiya Kuzmina 7 seconds ahead.
- The full programme for the Östersund World Cup, the first stage of the 2025/2026 season
- Caroline Colombo: my best memory of… Österusnd
- “When it performs, it creates momentum”: the relays on the opening weekend of the World Cup in Östersund, important events to get the French team on the right track
- Östersund: Jeanne Richard, Océane Michelon, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Lou Jeanmonnot dominate the women’s relay, the first race of the winter season
- “It’s a great team effort”: on their first outing of the winter in Östersund, Les Bleues have already won the World Cup
- Östersund: France’s Fabien Claude, Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Emilien Jacquelin and Eric Perrot second in the relay won by Norway
- “A good relay in tempo”: behind the Norwegians in the Östersund relay, the French get their winter off to a good start
- “There’s this desire to go for the greatest medal of all”: beaten by Norway in the first relay of the season, Les Bleus have their sights set on Olympic gold
- Östersund: Sweden win the mixed singles relay ahead of Norway, Fabien Claude and Camille Bened third for France
- “It’s important in a career”: Camille Bened takes her first World Cup relay podium finish in the mixed singles relay in Östersund
- “It’s wonderful to see her so happy and fulfilled”: former biathlete Chloé Bened reacts emotionally to her older sister Camille Bened’s first World Cup podium finish.
- Östersund: Emilien Jacquelin, Eric Perrot, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Lou Jeanmonnot win the mixed relay for France
- Östersund World Cup: Corinne Niogret’s debrief (relays)
- Östersund: Dorothea Wierer triumphs in the individual event ahead of Sonja Leinamo and Camille Bened, who takes her first solo podium finish
- “It’s the fruit of a lot of hard work”: an emotional Camille Bened talks about her third place in the Östersund individual event
- Camille Bened as told by her first coach Martin Bouchet after her podium finish in Östersund: “She was already a great fighter who never gave up”.
- Östersund: Johan-Olav Botn takes his first World Cup win by winning the individual, Eric Perrot best Frenchman
- “I’m in seventh heaven”: Johan-Olav Botn, who was ill at the start of the week, ran the perfect race in Östersund.
- “We’re where we should be”: a tricky first individual race for the French team, far from the podium in Östersund
- Östersund: Océane Michelon third in the sprint, victory for Finland’s Suvi Minkkinen ahead of Anna Magnusson
- Östersund: winner of the sprint, Suvi Minkkinen takes the yellow bib as World Cup leader
- Suvi Minkkinen, winner of her first World Cup victory in the Östersund sprint: “It’s incredible”.
- “It’s a great day for me”: 993 days later, Anna Magnusson is back on a World Cup podium in Östersund.
- The pride of Océane Michelon, scorer of her first World Cup 10/10 to finish on the podium in the Östersund sprint: “I went all the way”.
