His sensations were superior to those of the first event of the season, but Jules Burnotte hoped for better on Saturday in the 10 km sprint of the Biathlon World Cup in Finland.
From the first lap at Kontiolahti, the Sherbrooke resident felt that he lacked a bit of speed. He recorded a best time in second following a strong field, then slowed down at the end of the race to finish in 79e up (+3 minutes 6.5 seconds).
Burnotte also had some shooting difficulties. He missed a target on the first pass and two more on the second opportunity.
“Things happen and I didn’t get carried away. I had bad decision-making, I will have to refocus and shoot more in training to try to reproduce these situations,” he told Sportcom.
“I’m not fast enough for what I would like to do and in shooting, I’m not at a level that satisfies me. The quality of my shot can be very good, I worked well on that during the summer. A more rigorous mental preparation with the races, that would not hurt either. »
The Norwegian Johannes Thingnes Boe won in 23 min 9 s. Compatriot Sturla Holm Laegreid followed 10.5 seconds later, while German Roman Rees finished third (+28.8 seconds).
Adam Runnalls was the top Canadian and was 19e step (+1 minute 27.5 seconds)
A twelfth place in the relay
On Friday, Jules Burnotte took part in the 4 x 7.5 km relay with Runnalls, Christian Gow and rookie Zachary Connelly. The Canadian quartet placed 12e3 minutes 56 seconds behind the Norwegian gold medalists.
“We were happy to have Zachary Connelly with us for the first time on a relay. I gave the baton between fifth and eighth place, then we finished 12are. We have already done better and I think we will do better next week,” admitted Burnotte, optimistic about his future outings.
The athletes will now meet in Hochfilzen, Austria, on a flatter course that will probably suit Jules Burnotte better.
“What’s done is done and I think it’s going to happen eventually. As a team, we will find our bearings and we will be able to get good results. We have very good skis at the moment! The support staff is doing a good job and knowing that we are well followed, I have confidence for the future. Athletes, it’s up to us to do our job. »