Biathlon: Les Bleus aim for gold on the first day of the world championships in Lenzerheide
The big day has arrived. The day after the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Championships in Lenzerheide (Switzerland) was held in the Swiss village, it was time to launch the sporting programme on Wednesday. As has been the case for several editions, the winter’s flagship competition kicks off with a mixed relay.
One year on from their world title triumph in the furious Czech night of Nove Mesto, France head into the tournament in the guise of the scarecrow. With a quartet comprising Julia Simon, Lou Jeanmonnot, Eric Perrot and Emilien Jacquelin, Les Bleus are well equipped to go all the way. And that’s despite the mood of Quentin Fillon-Maillet from the Jura region, who had hoped to be lined up for the opening race of the World Championships.
“We’ve got the favourite team, and our ambition is gold,” Peiserot Eric Perrot told La Chaîne L’ Equipe on Tuesday afternoon, following the official pre-race training session. Stéphane Bouthiaux, the French biathlon boss, shares this ambitious view: “With the team we have, we’re aiming for the title and, at the very least, a medal,” he explained.
Fearsome competition
To achieve this, however, they will have to contend with stiff international competition. Among them, Norway(Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, Maren Kirkeeide, Sturla Holm Lægreid, Johannes Thingnes Boe), Germany(Selina Grotian, Franziska Preuss, Philipp Nawrath, Justus Strelow) and Sweden(Anna Magnusson, Hanna Oeberg, Martin Ponsiluoma, Sebastian Samuelsson) will be the most formidable teams.
But they will also have to be wary of Italy, Austria, Finland, Slovenia, Switzerland, Belgium, Bulgaria, Ukraine and the United States.
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