Biathlete Jules Burnotte and his teammates from the national team obtained their best result of the campaign in the 4 x 7.5 kilometer relay by finishing ninth on Saturday at the World Cup in Ruhpolding (Germany). A performance that reflects the individual and collective progress of Canadians.
Posted at 12:34 p.m.
“It was really fun! It was a very good race and it went really well on our side. We were able to stay in the top 6 for a good part of the race, which bodes well for the rest of the season. We really see progress, ”said Burnotte in a telephone interview with Sportcom.
The maple leaf quartet, which also counted on the services of Adam Runnalls, Christian Gow and Scott Gow, finally finished the race 2 minutes 32 seconds behind the Russians, winners of the day.
The latter led the race from one end to the other to conclude with a time of 1 h 11 min 6.1 s. They were followed on arrival by the Germans (+7 seconds) and the Belarusians (+23 seconds).
“There is no better learning experience for our team than a race like this,” continued Burnotte. It shows where we have improved and what we have to work on to continue to progress. »
Used as Canada’s third torchbearer on Saturday, the Sherbrooke resident believes he delivered a good performance, particularly in terms of skiing. He took advantage of the fast course to keep his team’s provisional sixth place during his stint.
The 25-year-old, however, notes that adjustments will have to be made to the standing shot, where he lost precious seconds.
“I put pressure on myself and the stress factor played into the balance. I cracked a little, but I still managed to take down all my targets with my spare balls. I feel very fit right now and I remain very happy with my race overall. »
Burnotte will be back on track on Sunday for the men’s 12.5 kilometer pursuit. He had qualified for this event by finishing 45and of the 10 kilometer sprint on Thursday. He sees it as a perfect opportunity to pull himself together behind his rifle and continue his progress towards his Olympic goal.
“I know I have to work on my shooting under pressure and I will recover tomorrow [dimanche]. It’s another great training opportunity and I want to make the most of it. Plus, it’s a group start, which I love. I will be able to ski with the others [coureurs] “, he concluded.