Cross-country skiing: Mathis Desloges successfully completes his first full winter in the elite
On 20 January 2024, Mathis Desloges finished 58th in a classic mass-start race in Oberhof (Germany). On that day, the Frenchman made his very first start on the cross-country skiing world cup. Just over a year later, the man from the Isère region has come a long way.
The 22-year-old cross-country skier was selected for the French senior team for the summer preparation programme, but he quickly made his mark. At the start of the winter, in Ruka (Finland), he had already made his mark with an excellent ninth place in a mass-start skate.
This was followed by an incredibly regular 2024/2025 season and a final thirteenth place in the overall circuit rankings. “Mathis Desloges was racing for the first time this year. Last year, he did a few races on the world cup. That was good, but the steps are always a little higher at this level,” explained Thibaut Chêne to Nordic Magazine. He was perhaps the one who arrived on this circuit with the least certainty and he really responded.
Eighth in the legendary Tour de Ski, the Dauphinois continued to impress as the weeks went by against the world’s best: “December, January, February and the world championships, where he finished sixth in the skiathlon, were simply incredible. It’s hugely satisfying ,” says his coach with satisfaction.
“I think you also have to be able to appreciate this kind of performance”.Thibaut Chêne at Nordic Magazine
“Afterwards, it’s true that by doing everything in the races, he was a bit ill the day after the Worlds. Despite that, he still held the position of last relay runner a few days later,” admits the Haut-Alpin. I think it still cost him in terms of energy and emotionally because he finished the season with more difficulty.
Despite these illnesses, Mathis Desloges has made it into the big leagues, just one year after winning the world title in the mass-start skate at the U23 World Championships in Planica (Slovenia) and taking his first steps into the elite.
“I’ll be remembering almost three quarters of a very high-level season. It’s a huge source of satisfaction this year. I think you also have to appreciate this kind of performance. It’s important. For the moment, we’re not yet at World Cup podium level, but the aim is to climb to another position,” says the French coach. He’s an athlete who has an excellent distance record in the history of French cross-country skiing. What he showed when he was still an U23 is very strong.
We’ re going to consolidate what we’ve done this year. There’s no need to change a lot of things. We want to raise the level in the finishes and also in the classics. That could unlock some very interesting things,” explains Thibaut Chêne.
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