As the French women’s biathlon team comes out of a turbulent summer, a newcomer arrives with full confidence before the start of the World Cup.
Time for sport! Or rather, back to sport. This was the watchword for the French women’s biathlon team, after a turbulent period to say the least. After the highly publicized Julia Simon affair, has been added in recent days
the strange case of Jeanne Richard. Whatever happens, the Blues are trying to hold on, at the dawn of a season whose high point will be the Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina in February.
Last weekend, biathlon returned to the forefront with the selection races in Bessans, which allowed the last three tickets to be distributed for the first stage of the World Cup in Östersund. Victorious in both sprints, solid in the mass start, Camille Bened won her ticket to Sweden in style. A nice little surprise for those who feared being a little tight after shoulder surgery a few months ago.
“It’s a lot of relief and pride, too, she confides
at Nordic Mag. For me, the summer was hard. I often lagged behind others, but I never worried. With the coaches, we worked really well. We knew that, during the preparation period, I was inevitably going to be behind everyone, but we had made the bet that I would be ready for the selections. »
Freshness and novelty among the Bleues
Victorious in the IBU Cup, the precursor to the World Cup, the 25-year-old biathlete was able to compete in the final stage last winter, in Oslo-Holmenkollen. With a good overall performance, she set a date for the future. “In Norway, it was the icing on the cake and I touched the podium, she remembers, thinking of this chase where she missed the last shot. Obviously, there was a little taste of unfinished business so I really wanted to succeed in qualifying and quickly get back into the World Cup to continue what I was able to do at the end of last season. »
It’s done, and Camille Bened returns to Les Bleues with full freshness and full of confidence. “I know, with the races I was able to complete in Bessans, that I am capable of doing great things, she promises. So I don’t put limits on myself and the goal will be to do my biathlon. If I do it cleanly and correctly, I won’t be far off the mark. The goal will be to give 100% every day so as not to have regrets at the end of the week. »
