Biathlon | Voldiya Galmace-Paulin doesn’t want to miss a step: “My main objective is still the Junior Cup”

Biathlon: a fine summer for Voldiya Galmace-Paulin

A great hope for French women’s biathlon at the age of almost 19 (she celebrates her birthday next Monday), Voldiya Galmace-Paulin from Haut-Savoie is part of the Excellence 2030 group formed this summer by the French Ski Federation. A podium finisher in the Junior Cup and winner of three world youth medals last winter, the ambitious Montblanc native also enjoyed two fine first national races in her new U22 category last month.

Voldiya Galmace-Paulin took time out from her home in Habère-Poche (Haute-Savoie) to talk to Nordic Magazine as she headed for Arçon (Doubs) on Tuesday morning, the venue for a meeting of her training group and the forth coming Summer Tour. Her summer and the coming winter were on the agenda. Interview.

• You were included in the Excellence 2030 group at the end of spring. This is your first selection for a federal group: how did you feel about the change?

It was the first time I’d spent so much time in training. I think that was the biggest change, whether it was the length of the training sessions or the number of sessions. But I’ve adapted and it’s good to be able to train as a group so much. It’s better than being on your own at home, you’re well looked after. It helps us to push each other to the top, which is great!

• Does being in a French Ski Federation group represent your first step towards the very highest level?

It’s a step forward. It’s a good place to start and it’s great to have been selected in such a group! It could open doors for me in the future.

• Especially as, in training, you are supported by coaches Rachel Demangeat, in skiing, and Claire Breton, in shooting…

Having one coach specialising in shooting and another in physical training means that they can each look after their own area and have more time to devote to each athlete. They help us to progress and it’s a real advantage to have two coaches for every ten.

• With the results you’ve achieved in recent months (including three medals at the World Youth Championships), do you see yourself as the leader of this Excellence 2030 group?

[Laughs] No, not at all! Lou-Anne [Dupont Ballet-Baz] and I know each other really well because we’ve been together since the committee started. I’m very happy to have joined this group with her and we already knew Célia [Henaff] and Eva [Laine] with whom we get on really well. We’d already been to international events with them, whether it was the Junior Cup or the World Championships.

• At the end of last winter, you said in our columns that you were very happy with your results: what have you been working on this summer to make further progress?

When it comes to skiing, we work a lot on technique, so I must have made a lot of progress in this area. Especially as we spent quite a bit of time at Prémanon where we had access to the ski-wheel mat which allows us to work on the technical points. In shooting, we’ve had more practice and the time spent on the course has enabled me to be monitored in that area. I think that’s going to help me a lot over the winter.

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• How are you getting on with your stand-up shooting, your Achilles heel that you’ve been trying to cure for months and months?

[She laughs] It’s hard to know if I’ve made any progress in that area… For me, it’s mainly a question of winter because you have to learn to manage your emotions when you’re in a situation where you have something at stake. So I’m waiting for the winter races to see if I’ve made any progress! I’m doing everything I can to make progress in this position. I think it’s going to get better and better!

• At the Summer Tour in Prémanon (Jura) last month, you contested your first U22 races, taking two podiums…

It went really well! I was really looking forward to getting back into the race at the end of the summer. There was some apprehension because you never really know where you stand before the first race of the season, but it was great. For me, it validates the things I’ve been working on over the summer, which is great. We’re now coming up to the Summer Tour d’Arçon, which will be an opportunity to continue to score points before the winter.

• Bessans’ FFS selections for the first IBU Cup, with three places up for grabs, start in less than a month’s time: will the aim be to win one of them despite the strong competition?

Of course it makes you want to do it, but the IBU Cup isn’t really the main objective for these November selections. I’m going to try and get my bearings before the start of the French Cup in Bessans, where I’ll be aiming for the Junior Cup. As for the IBU Cup, I know there aren’t many places available and the level is very high. Of course, I’m going to do my best and, when I put on a number, it’s to do well, but I’m going there with the aim of getting as many reference points as possible.

• Over the winter as a whole, is the IBU Cup a real objective for you?

I’m still a junior so my main objective is still the Junior Cup. I’d like to continue to gain experience on this circuit as I did last year. I know that if you want to move up to the IBU Cup, you’re going to have to put in some really big races, so we’ll see!

• Voldiya Galmace-Paulin talks to Nordic Magazine after her excellent season: “I’m trying to do my own thing without listening too much to what people say about me”.
• Pokljuka: Voldiya Galmace-Paulin and Fany Bertrand on the Junior Cup sprint podium
• “We’re really proud of our race”: Léo Carlier, Antonin Guy, Voldiya Galmace-Paulin and Alice Dusserre talk about their world youth mixed relay title in Otepää
• Otepää: Voldiya Galmace-Paulin wins bronze in the individual youth event
• Voldiya Galmace-Paulin after winning bronze in the individual event in Otepää: “Super happy to continue the World Championships in this way”.
• Otepää Youth World Championships: Voldiya Galmace-Paulin takes silver in the sprint
• Three medals in three races for Voldiya Galmace-Paulin at the World Youth Championships in Otepää: “I’m enjoying it and it’s great”.
• French Cup sprint at La Féclaz: victory and French U22 title for Océane Michelon, Voldiya Galmace-Paulin crowned U19 champion
• La Féclaz: Océane Michelon also crowned French U22 pursuit champion, double for Voldiya Galmace-Paulin in the U19s
• Ambroise Meunier, Coralie Langel, Voldiya Galmace-Paulin, Antonin Guy, Juliette Oliva and Nans Madelenat crowned: the final overall rankings for the 2023/2024 French Cup
• Méribel: Voldiya Galmace-Paulin becomes French U19 mass start champion