Cross-country skiing: four French competitors in Saturday’s skiathlon
At the World Championships in Trondheim (Norway), it’s the distance runners’ turn to take to the track. Four Frenchmen will be at the start of the skiathlon. The last time the caravan of cross-country skiers took part, Hugo Lapalus finished 8th, just a handful of seconds off the podium. Which just goes to show that he is eagerly awaited. And not just on Saturday. After a podium finish in Davos (Switzerland) in December, the Cluse skier finished a solid fifth in the individual classic in Falun (Sweden), the format on the programme.
” Obviously, we’re going to start with the skiathlon and it’s always important to get the competition off to a good start. I really want to do well in this event. I don’t want to deprive myself and, above all, I don’t want to set myself any limits. If there’s a chance of a podium finish, I’ve got to go all out “, he told Nordic Magazine a few days ago. But there are a few important points to bear in mind: “I think you have to be patient, keep a bit of a low profile and not try too hard. The transition to the skate will be a crucial moment in the race, he predicts: “That’s generally where things and groups are made up and that’s where you have to be solid on your skis to stay in contact.
This race will allow Jules Lapierre to gauge his state of fitness. The Chartrous native only resumed training a fortnight ago, after falling ill. The sessions had to be adapted because he didn’t want to overdo it, “so as not to put even more strain on what the illness had already done”.
I’m feeling pretty good,” he says reassuringly. We did a warm-up [Friday] morning with the team and it was pretty good. I was able to ski again and regain some of my freshness, so I think it should be pretty good.
His ambitions remain the same for these world championships, but with “a little less confidence” in his mind. However, he is not lacking in assets. “The track suits me quite well, it’s a hard track with a long climb. It’s a fairly constant effort,” he points out.
Like all his fellow competitors, the cross-country skier makes no secret of his impatience. “I’m really motivated, I can’t wait. What’s more, it’s going to be a great race with so many spectators”, he assures us.
“I’ve never raced with so many people around the track. So it can only be a good thing,” says team-mate Mathis Desloges, who is just as keen to battle it out. His strategy for the day is crystal clear: “It’s to get out in front, to get to the front in the final pack to play for the medal. I’ve seen that I can do it in the two skiathlons this year”. He came 12th in Lillehammer (Norway) on December 8 and 12th in Val di Fiemme on January 4.
In Trondheim, he will have to deal with the venue: “It’s a very good track for a world championship. The classic section is very hard, and the skateboarding section starts off strongly too (…) It’s definitely a great track where we’ll be able to express ourselves well from A to Z. It’s going to be a great race, that’s for sure. It’s going to be a great race, that’s for sure.
Norway doesn’t just give stars to the next generation of French skiers. “It’s a bit like the country of cross-country skiing. Yes, it’s crazy to be here. (…) I think these might be my last World Championships, so I’m going to try and make the most of it and give it my best shot,” agrees the experienced Clément Parisse.
The man who plans to become a mountain guide sets himself no limits. I’ve had quite a disjointed season between the start when I wasn’t there [he went through the French Cup and the FESA Cup] and then I got a bit ill,” he says. But I think a top 10 finish would be pretty good. And at the Worlds, you always hope for a bit more. So we’ll see.
The skiathlon kicks off at 2pm. In Planica in 2023, Simen Hegstad Krueger won the title.
