Q: What difference does it make to start the season as the best biathlete in the world?
I feel more efficient, same thing for shooting, there are more solid bases than before last season.
If I already feel now that I am more advanced than last year, that I have continued to progress, it is rather encouraging for the season."
Q: How do you manage the favorite tag?
A: "It was part of the work of mental preparation. But it's not a major change for me to have this label. I try to draw the positive from it and to tell myself that from one I intimidate my opponents in some way, I won last season, I know how to do it. It's more of a help than something that will disadvantage me. Afterwards, the media pressure has increased over the years, it is still largely higher this year. But it is always proportional to the demands and the pressure that I put on myself. In the end, it's not something that scares me. I have very high goals, the pressure is very high too, but I'm getting better and better at managing both."
Q: World gold is the only one missing from your charts.
Will the Worlds in Oberhof (February 8-19) be the highlight of your winter?
A: "These are, along with the general classification (of the World Cup), my two big objectives for the season. Like last season (for the Olympic Games-2022), I will try to get there in very good shape, even if it's not easy to manage your form in the middle of the season when you run almost three times a week. But it's the line that's missing from my list. I already have two (world) titles in relay with the France team. I miss this individual title, I hope to get it. It's a goal that scares me a little less than last season, because I have more experience and life for manage my emotions and a race in the lead. This additional experience allows me to hope for more victories, it is motivating."
Comments collected at a press conference.
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