The biathlon season is almost over for Quentin Fillon-Maillet. Last meeting, April 1, 2 and 3 in his native Jura, in Prémanon, for the French Nordic skiing championships. But the most exceptional has already been done: five Olympic medals in Beijing and the big crystal globe of the Biathlon World Cup.
To celebrate this golden season, France Bleu Besançon invited itself this Friday for a special broadcast at QFM in Saint-Laurent-en-Grandvaux. We look back on some of the highlights of this special.
I was very impressed with what QFM did – Jean-Claude Killy
First surprise phone call: that of Jean-Claude Killytriple Olympic champion in alpine skiing at the Grenoble Olympics in 1968. “I was very impressed with what QFM did” does he testify “It’s breathtaking. I wonder if we even realize what it is, this series of victories, these five medals, these crystal cups, big and small. All this with a form of relaxation, relaxation, kindness, respect for others. It’s really beautiful.”
Jean-Claude Killy and Quentin Fillon-Maillet met before the Beijing Olympics and called back just before. The Olympic champion from Grenoble gave the future hero of Beijing 2022 valuable advice, “precisely the keys to success, regularity on all the games” says the Jura player. “You said to me ‘do as on the World Cup’ and just this sentence there, it resonated in a really strong way in me”.
“I really wanted to make him understand that the Olympics is a race like the others and that, as he knew how to win, it was enough to duplicate that’s all” adds Jean-Claude Killy, “above all, when the machine started, I wanted to make sure that he did not touch anything, that is to say that he leaves everything as is: the psychology, the rifle, the skis… That he is not jostled by the magnitude of the event (…) It is he who did everything and I admire him for that. “
With Anaïs Bescond: “We shared great things”
Palpable emotion when it’s Anaïs Bescond, triple Olympic medalist in Pyeongchang in 2018, who calls Quentin Fillon-Maillet. The Jurassienne announced her retirement a few days earlier. Between the two biathletes from Franche-Comté who competed together in the French team, many sports and non-sporting memories.
“It was a great meeting, Anaïs” explains QFM “We shared so many beautiful moments. It is with sadness that I learn of her departure. It’s something I expected a little bit because it comes at a time in her career when she sees other things that biathlon does in his life. But he’s someone with whom I’ve always really appreciated sharing as a team, with whom we’ve done great things with skis on. I’m thinking of the relays at the Championships of the world: for me, it was completely crazy emotions. And then, quite simply, the person she is, I appreciate her a lot.”
I really love my sport – Quentin Fillon-Maillet
After Jean-Claude Killy and Anaïs Bescond, Quentin Fillon-Maillet also exchanged with Léo Lacroix, the only Franc-Comtois of alpine skiing Olympic medalist (silver, downhill) at the Innsbruck Games in 1964 and a big fan of QFM. Fillon-Maillet also answered questions from listeners of France Bleu Besançon and in particular to Sylvie, from Arc-sous-Cicon, who wondered what could still motivate the champion in all categories.
“I asked myself the question after the games”, acknowledges Quentin Fillon-Maillet, “but ultimately, after reflection, it’s not just the quest for these medals, it’s also the pleasure I always have in training, trying to be a better biathlete, to progress and continue to develop my sport. Martin (Fourcade) managed to win these crystal globes. I think I’m also able to follow him on that, and anyway, I really love what I do, I really love my sport and beyond one object in particular, it’s really happiness provided by everything I do on a daily basis.”