The Biathlon World Cup resumes in Ostersund on Saturday with two individual races.
A format where French biathletes have not often shone recently, because among other things, a certain fragility in shooting.
Like Justine Braisaz, the French women intend to approach the coming season with more serenity to erase these irregularities.
Small fright on the return from the pre-season biathlon stage in Sjusjoen, where Julia Simon quickly passed from the joy of her victory in the sprint to the greatest anxiety upon her return to French soil.
“When we came back from Norway, we lost all trace of my rifle, we didn't know if it was in Oslo or Paris.
It was a bit of a blur.
It ended well since I ended up getting it back, but I don't think we'll ever know what happened.
It's not ideal, just before the start of the season.
"
And quite ironic before the start, Saturday in Ostersund, of a year of biathlon which wants to be one of serenity for the French women's team, in eternal quest for regularity.
2020-2021 season
Only one skier in the top 10 overall: Anaïs Chevalier-Bouchet (9th, four podiums)
Two wins only: Julia Simon (on mass-start at Oberhof and Antholz)
No relay victory but four podiums
Let us add to this somewhat depressing picture the ultimate sinking of Julia Simon on the last mass-start of last winter (5/20 shooting in apocalyptic conditions) which will deprive her of a small globe, however almost acquired.
A memory that will haunt her for a while.
“For me, it wasn't biathlon, it was the lottery.
Afterwards, I was not strong enough, I was a little frustrated.
I'm working to make sure that doesn't happen again and to be able, if I'm in the race for a globe, to be 200% of my capacity to deal with my emotions.
"
The eternal quest for relaxation
Rather than setting quantified goals, the Blues have carried out introspection work which, they hope, will lead them this year to surpass themselves. This is the case of Justine Braisaz, whose Stakhanovism has more often led her to burnout than to the podiums of the World Cup. The biathlete intends to lower the workload a notch to focus on her sensations and the pleasure experienced on the track and shooting, where she was ineffective in 2020-2021. “It's a feeling that I had, it's a need that has come with years and experience. All top athletes do not have the same beliefs or the same experiences as mine and may not agree with this approach, where the notion of pleasure is total. Me, that's what my body and my head told me to be good in winter. "
Listen to yourself and ignore the outside environment.
Braisaz spoke on Thursday of her indifference to other competitors in training for the first general gathering on the Swedish track ("I feel more detached from the competition. What matters to me is how I feel . If I gave the best of myself, then I will be able to watch what the others are doing in the standings) and Julia Simon also intends to take some distance to progress, especially on her favorite format, the mass-start.
“These are races that inspire me but where I have to stay calmer and manage myself a little more, not always going overboard and being able to feel things better.
It all comes with experience.
"
Progress to serve the relay
The idea being, ultimately, that everyone benefits. Because also collectively, the French have often distinguished themselves by certain mistakes in shooting during relays where they could have done better. The logical consequence of the weaknesses of each, says Braisaz. “The irregularity in shooting penalized us on the relays. And this irregularity was also found in individual races. There is no real chance. If we are four very strong elements we can have monstrous relays. Now you have to know how to do individual complete races and that will almost involve individual constructions of performance. "
Julia Simon calls for her part to get rid of the fear of stopping a relay.
“Sometimes we put too much pressure on ourselves in relay.
But you have to succeed in telling yourself that basically, these are four races which, put end to end, make only one.
We are all very motivated to do these relays, and we have a very good potential, but we sometimes have difficulty in realizing it.
"A few months before the 2022 Olympics, the collective seems to be reaching maturity.
“What I feel,” ends Braisaz, “is that we all have long teeth, and it really pulls up.
"If in addition it can shoot in the target ...
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