Östersund (Sweden) (AFP)
In the wake of the men's quadruple, led by Martin Fourcade, the French were not left on Thursday, placing two of them on the podium of the Individual in Ostersund with the 2nd World Cup victory for Justine Braisaz and a nice 3rd place for Julia Simon.
The triumph of the band at Fourcade inspired the ladies and gave a boost to the moribund Blue until then, who remained on a very mixed last season, the first since the retirement of their leader Marie Dorin. But Braisaz and Simon, both 23 years old, proved that the next generation was ready to take over.
The two members of the club Saisies (Savoie), long used to train together, made a race almost perfect on skis, largely offsetting their little waste behind the rifle (2 fouls). Only the Ukrainian Yuliia Dzhima managed to slip into 2nd place, thanks to a clear shot, while the other favorites have limited the case to the image of holding the big crystal globe, Dorothea Wierer of Italy, 7th but still at the top of the overall standings.
This success should do a good job in Braisaz, extraordinary potential but so often used to rollercoasters. Irregular on the track and unclassifiable outside, this farmer girl, very attached to her mountain roots, has long been an enigma for her coaches. His inability to continue after his first World Cup victory in December 2017 in Grand-Bornand, and his unfathomable side even began to annoy internally.
- "I was terrorized" -
Before the start of the World Championships in March at Ostersund, where she will end up clinching the Individual bronze medal, the French biathlon boss Stéphane Bouthiaux had scathing words about her: "We always have the impression that she is absent. When we talk to her, she listens but I'm not sure she hears. "
His disastrous 83rd place on Sunday in the sprint, the first individual event of the season, augured the worst for the future but Braisaz was still where we do not expect.
"I'm very happy," she said, "on the Chaîne L'Equipe." Four days ago, I was under pressure, I know how the last seven months went, how I put my heart into my preparation, and the sprint reminded me of bad memories ... I was terrified today at the start but I had good legs and shooting I decided to engage. "
For Simon too, "it's all the work of the summer" that was rewarded with this first podium in the World Cup, even if it was still beaten by Braisaz, with whom she has known everything since the age of 5 years.
"It's a good rivalry that pushes us forward," she said, "we had a hard time and it was in those moments that I built myself." Here is a duo of shock to finally relight the flame in the Blue.
© 2019 AFP