It is one of the flagship disciplines of the French winter. Biathlon resumes this weekend in Ostersund, Sweden. Before the first stage of the World Cup and less than three months of the Olympic Games, Blues coach Vincent Vittoz is optimistic.
France Bleu: It’s a special winter that begins for you, since there will be the Olympics in Beijing in a few weeks …
Vincent Vittoz: “The Olympic Games are a long-term project, we’ve been working on it for four years. Obviously, we have intermediate goals with the World Championships or the World Cup, but it has remained the guide for four years and we are getting closer. We really established a program on which we had taken benchmarks in past years, and we did not invent anything for this Olympic year. We arrive, at the start of the season, where we wanted to be, in good shape, with good benchmarks taken from our last internship in Norway, and I think we can approach the season with a good dose of confidence because we know the job was well done this summer.”
France Bleu: The France team has been used to playing the leading roles for years. Is that still what you are aiming for this winter?
Vincent Vittoz: “Yes, of course, we want to maintain our level, maybe even improve it, we know that we have strong competition, especially with Norway. We must not lower our vigilance, of course, and this is a permanent questioning. We were lucky to have leaders who made this generation uninhibited, they showed that it was possible. Today, there is real know-how, too, in terms of training, and each athlete who joins the France team knows that he is there to seek the top level in the world.”
France Bleu: Among the athletes expected this winter, there is Émilien Jacquelin. The Villardien broke his forearm in August. How is he when it comes time to return to the World Cup?
Vincent Vittoz: “It is true that he had a rather special summer with his injury following a fall on his bike. Physically, he wasted little time and we can feel he is fully mature, very well. Now, it is true that on the shot, especially his lying shot, we had to adapt his position. It requires a lot of vigilance, a lot of attention and a lot of concentration not to make mistakes. We do not despair that by the time of the Olympic Games, he will be able to find a normal lying position on the bench. But he still has to compose at the start of the season with a position that is not usually his.“