Ski jumping: Nicolas Dessum reviews France’s performances in Lillehammer
At the end of last week, the 2024/2025 Ski Jumping World Cup got underway on the Lysgårdsbakken in Lillehammer (Norway). For the occasion, the French men’s team, newly awarded three quotas, entered Valentin Foubert, its leader, as well as the two rookies Enzo Milesi and Ari Repellin.
“We were in pretty good shape and all the indicators were in the green, their coach Nicolas Dessum told Nordic Magazine as they took stock. However, we had to deal with unexpected things like equipment and mental problems. It’s not quite the start we’d hoped for, but overall it’s still positive, especially in terms of the raw results with the final of the mixed competition, Valentin [Foubert]’s final and the qualification of Enzo [Milesi] and Ari [Repellin], who wasn’t far off the mark.”
It has to be said, too, that the start of the winter was paved with uncertainty for all the national teams, not least because of the new system for checking suits, which are now chipped.
“We got caught out on the Saturday for Valentin [Foubert] because we thought we were in the clear after having done quite a few competitions this summer to make sure everything was OK. In the end, they checked in another way, says Nicolas Dessum. Now, everything is normally OK for the rest of the race.”
Valentin Foubert continues to perform well at Ruka
In spite of everything, the Courchevel native posted the best World Cup result of his career on Sunday, finishing 21st. “He was tense, but he’s delighted to see that he’s in the game and that he’ll be able to play, said his coach. Valentin Foubert’s confidence has grown thanks to this weekend and he knows that this is just the beginning, that he’s going to continue and improve.”
He will therefore continue his World Cup tour this weekend in Ruka (Finland). Not a foregone conclusion.
“At the very start, no one was going to go and we had to skip it because it’s a special competition where the conditions can be complicated. When you arrive there without any certainties, it can shatter a lot of things. As Valentin [Foubert] is arriving rather confident after his summer and with some technical certainties, we can go and play up there”, confides Nicolas Dessum.
Enzo Milesi and Ari Repellin gain experience
So it will be without Enzo Milesi and Ari Repellin, who had their baptism of World Cup fire in Lillehammer.
“For them, it was a discovery. As there was nothing in front of them, we took advantage of that and it allowed them to jump on the snow and gain experience. Their objective was to qualify. It was one out of two for Enzo [Milesi] and Ari [Repellin] came close both times. That enabled them to see what they were capable of and also to see that they weren’t far off the mark when they jumped well. They still need consistency and confidence to play at this level,” says their coach.
- Lillehammer: France in the final round of a rare mixed World Cup competition
- Lillehammer: Valentin Foubert brilliantly qualifies for Sunday’s competition, Enzo Milesi also qualifies
- Lillehammer: Jan Hoerl impeccable, Valentin Foubert scores his first points of the winter
