Simon Desthieux, Olympic champion and vice-world champion, announces his retirement

End clap for Simon Desthieux. The 30-year-old biathlete announced on Tuesday March 15 that he was putting away the rifle. “It will be one last World Cup [ce week-end à Oslo]because I am announcing that I am stopping my career afterwards”he explained on the website of the French Ski Federation.

@simondstx !
Our double Olympic medalist Simon Desthieux is ending his sports career.
The FFS thanks him for his journey as a high-level athlete and for the state of mind he has shown throughout these years. pic.twitter.com/IolJOF9mXL

— FFS – French Ski Federation (@FedFranceSki) March 15, 2022

The career of the Hauteville-Lompnes licensee was notably marked by an Olympic title with the mixed relay in 2018. He was also present during the recent silver men’s relay in Beijing with his teammates. The champion reached one of the high points of his individual career at the start of the season, becoming the sixth Frenchman to put on the yellow bib of the World Cup leader for a race.

From now on, the sprint silver medalist at the last Pokljuka Worlds is thinking about the future. “I have projects that are looming today, but of course the end of a career requires preparation, there are a lot of things that fascinate me.” This weekend, Simon Desthieux will say goodbye to biathlon at the Oslo World Cup, a stage that “to care about heart and [lui] very much like it. It’s a site that I really appreciate and I think it’s something to stop my career on a beautiful site like that.”

“I’m happy with what I’ve done, happy with what I’ve been through. There were some very, very beautiful moments, and I’m getting to a stage where I need something else. I I feel like I’ve been through the World Cup. I’m looking for something else today.”

Simon Desthieux, biathlete

on the website of the French Ski Federation

“A lot of moments marked me, especially the relays where we went to get a lot of medals. I vibrated, there were a lot of emotions, pleasure, joy. At a high level, there are sides which are magnificent and I will remember these beautiful moments of sharing”explained the Indian sportsman.