Cross-country skiing: the state of mind of the French before the individual classic at the Trondheim World Championships
After a day’s rest, the cross-country skiers are back in the Granåsen stadium and on the slopes at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim (Norway). Individuals in classic style are on the programme. “It’s the race I had in mind for these World Championships, at least on an individual level. I can’t wait to get there, I’m very excited, and a little apprehensive of course”, enthuses Hugo Lapalus. Le Cluse has every reason to harbour ambitions and believe in his medal chances. On 15 December last year, in the same event, he claimed a podium place, finishing third in the 20km classic at the World Cup in Davos (Switzerland). Of course, this Tuesday the distance won’t be the same: the course will only be ten kilometres long, or half the distance.
The context won’t be the same either: “It’s going to be great, in a crazy atmosphere, with a very beautiful track, a difficult track,” predicts the man who finished 11th in the skiathlon. I’m looking forward to giving it my all too. We’re going to have to put everything in place to get a good result.
The weather is also going to play an important role: “They’re predicting really Dantesque conditions”, recalls Rémi Bourdin, 12th in the opening sprint qualifiers. Snow is forecast. So is rain.
But the young man is confident: “Last year, in Val di Fiemme, on the mass-start, it was the same conditions. It worked out really well for me. I finished 9th, even though I’d fallen during the race. We French often have good skis in conditions like that.
For the past week, the Jurassien has been discovering the specificities of a major event. ” I’m going to get that extra bit of soul and use the atmosphere of the Worlds to go for an even better result than I’ve achieved so far,” he warns.
In the women’s race, Mélissa Gal believes that she too has a card to play: “I think that there are some openings in terms of results, because the best girls are there, but there are also many who don’t take the start because of the sprint team that follows. And I think this could be a real opportunity for me to try and get some places in this race. Last year, on the pre-Worlds stage, she came 17th.
Clément Parisse, for his part, is enjoying every moment. This individual race could be his “last individual race at the Worlds. It will still be something. On the track, he will remember a race from 2020, already contested in Trondheim, a 30km pursuit won by Norway’s Paal Golberg. He finished 20th, the first Frenchman in a ranking in which the Russians still occupied some good places. “ It’s a good memory and I’m going to try to give it everything I’ve got and remind myself of it,” he assures us.
