Cross-country skiing: Renaud Jay’s decision not to be selected for the World Championships was confirmed
On 17 March last, in Lahti (Finland) and on the eve of the final competitions of the cross-country skiing World Cup season, Renaud Jay announced on social networks that he was calling time on his career at the end of the 2024/2025 season. It was a decision taken over the course of the winter, and one that was definitively confirmed when the Savoyard was not selected to take part in the world championships in Trondheim (Norway).
For Nordic Magazine, the 33-year-old cross-country skier, who is currently competing in the Customs Tournament in Italy, agreed to talk about all the reasons why he decided to call it a day. Interview.
A season-by-season vision
“When I started preparing again last summer, I was really motivated by the goal of Trondheim. I knew it was going to be a great Worlds. And that was confirmed. What’s more, it was on a track we’d discovered last year in the World Cup and it went well for me. I liked the profile. We also went there this summer for a training camp. We worked on it and I really liked this type of track.
“All this in the knowledge that with the Olympic Games next year and the classic sprint, my seasons would be numbered. I wasn’t necessarily looking ahead to the next season, but I wasn’t setting any limits either. But in any case, I’ve really gone all out to achieve that goal.
“At every course, at every place we used to go, I told myself that I had to make the most of it because it might be the last time I was there.Renaud Jay at Nordic Magazine
“At every training course, at every place we used to go, I told myself I had to make the most of it because it might be the last time I went there. I really tried to take it like that. I tried to be even more professional than I had been in the past by trying to combine everything I had tried and found that worked. I may also have added things that meant I didn’t get into the season properly in November. I wanted to try something new. And I don’t think that helped me start the winter. And we know that once you don’t start the season well, especially as a sprinter, you’re not at the Tour de Ski and that’s already a big hole in the season.
“On the Tour de Ski, it’s often the moment when, if you’ve got the season off to a good start, these are the sprints where you can go and get some big results and more or less secure the rest of the season and the big events. Unfortunately, I wasn’t there and that made it almost five weeks without racing, not counting the stage in Davos.
“And despite my average start to the season, I came back in good form in Davos. But I just didn’t have too much success because we started with a team sprint where I was feeling really good and then I fell ill during the night. In the end, it was a bit like my winter. I was just a few tenths short of qualifying and opening up the tournament.
A return to form at home gives us hope
“That was a bit hard to take because there were five weeks to wait before the races in Les Rousses. Les Rousses is special because now I live in the Jura. My wife works for the organisation and I was really motivated. I was able to work really well and prepare for my trick by achieving a lot of intensity on the Tuffes track. I managed a fourteenth place in the classic sprint and that’s one of my best results in that style. I managed to show that I could still be in the running and that gave me a boost for the rest of the season.
“The following weekend, on what was more or less my last chance to be selected for the Worlds, I arrived at the sprint in the Engadine where I was feeling good. Unfortunately, there were gusts of wind. With Jules Chappaz, the conditions weren’t really that good, especially at the end. In the final, we got caught up in a huge gust of wind and that meant we missed out on qualifying again because of a matter of tenths.
“For me, that was the end of the hope of being selected. After that, I went to Cogne because I’d planned to continue. It was a really difficult week staying in Cogne with the others, knowing that I wasn’t going to be involved in the rest of the season for the Worlds. Once I got back from Cogne, it was really hard. I questioned myself a lot. It also confirmed that I wasn’t really getting a return on the investment I’d put in. I wasn’t at the level I’d hoped to be and I certainly wasn’t at the level I was training for.
“I’m nearly 34 and I’m no longer training just to pass qualifications”.Renaud Jay at Nordic Magazine
“I’m nearly 34 and I don’t train any more just to pass qualifiers and make a shot 15th and a shot 25th. That’s not what got me up every morning and it’s not what got me out of the house so often. Even when we’re at home, we’re there without really being there with all the training sessions. I love competition, especially sprinting, but I’m no longer performing well enough for the investment I’m making and the sacrifices it requires of me and my family.
A successful end to the season in Finland
“So I took the decision to stop knowing that it’s not easy and it’s been tough. From Cogne to the end of the season, it was really hard. I tried to enjoy myself over long distances. I managed to see that I was in the mix too. But at both La Transju’ and the Engadine, I broke my cane in the last few kilometres when I could have been in with a chance of winning. Those were still things that were a bit hard to accept.
“But I have no regrets because I did everything I could, even over these long distances. I did everything I could to prepare for them as well as possible because I had the time to prepare. It worked because I was in good shape, but that didn’t translate into results. There are a lot of things that, in the end, sum up my career. It’s often my fault, but sometimes it’s just bad luck. I’ve had quite a few little glitches, from broken equipment to crashes.
“I’ve come full circle. I showed great things at the end of the season, when I was trusted for the final sprint skates in Tallinn and Lahti. It was important for me to prove to myself that I hadn’t done all that for nothing. I was also proving to myself that I was still capable of playing and showing the youngsters that I was still there, even if it was for the last few [Laughs]. I was really surprised by the team in Lahti with my family, all the technicians and all the staff who were there. It couldn’t have ended any better.
“It hasn’t changed my decision in any way. Before this season, the only thing that could have kept me going was to do what I’d done two years ago, where I played in a lot of finals and semi-finals, and that put me in the top 10 in the overall World Cup rankings. That’s the only thing that could have kept me going for another year. It’s true that it’s a long time between April and the season. It’s a very long time and I’m not one of the most talented people. And if I don’t do everything I need to, I won’t be able to perform.
“For me, there weren’t many things that could change my mind, especially after the failure of the World Championships”.Renaud Jay at Nordic Magazine
“For me, there weren’t many things that could change my mind, especially after the failure of the Worlds. It would be even better if I finished with a very good result, but I’m already happy with what I’ve done and with the time I’ve been able to spend at the end of the season.
“I’ve had time to think about stopping my career and it was very hard in February. And now, in fact, I’m a bit more like I am every winter. In any case, it’s also a period when you disconnect a little from all that, from the environment, from your skiing friends and you enjoy being at home without the constraints of training and without the constraints of a course. So for the moment, I don’t see any difference between the seasons before and now. I think it will be strange in a month’s time when I see the others going back to training or on a course and I’ll be at home.
“I started the BE2 for cross-country skiing. I don’t think it’s a bad thing that it follows on from one another. That way, I don’t have too much time to think about it. After that, I’m going to see over the next few weeks and months what I can do with this second life. I’m not too worried about that yet. I think there’s going to be a backlash, but I’m also going to take the opportunity to do other things, go on holiday, go back to doing things that I’d forbidden myself to do, like playing football with my friends. It’s all going to depend on what happens to me professionally over the next few weeks.
The Customs Tournament as the last official competition
“I’m also lucky enough to still have a contract with Customs until the end of June, so I’m not in a hurry. I’m talking to people. For the moment, there’s nothing concrete in the pipeline, but I’ve got some leads. So I’m going to take some time to think about it and also to digest this break, because I think things are fine at the moment, but maybe in a week or two things will be different. It’s important to take a break before embarking on a new project. I’m thinking more along the lines of late spring.
“The Customs Tournament is great because there aren’t many times of the year when you can give something back to the customs administration. There’s a whole official part where there are opening and closing ceremonies in costume. It’s great fun. It also gives us a chance to see athletes from other disciplines, because we never bump into each other.
“On the sporting side, I’ve been a bit ill for the last two weeks. I haven’t been able to do any sport for several days, so the first race was a bit tough. But that’s the case for everyone because in France, we don’t have many places that are open for skiing. But it did us good to unwind. On top of that, we’re at an altitude of 1,800 metres, so if you’re not in good shape, you can’t be forgiven. But above all, we’re here to spend some time with the people from Customs.
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