With the results recorded since the start of the season, the staff of the French biathlon team will have to rack their brains to compose the Blue selection for the Olympic Games.
The French biathlon team has had to deal with a certain number of problems for some time. Here’s another one, but this one is a rich man’s worry. The Blues staff will have to make strong choices in view of the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games, the big highlight of the winter, next February.
The equation to solve is as follows. France has six quotas per gender, as is the case during the World Cup stages. But for the individual events of the Olympics, the French staff will only be able to check four names each time.
For boys, about two months before the event, the situation seems clear. A quartet stands out quite clearly (Eric Perrot, Emilien Jacquelin, Quentin Fillon-Maillet and Fabien Claude). We probably hold the composition of the relay and most of the individual races.
For women, on the other hand, it is far from being so simple. Lou Jeanmonnot is essential, and it is hard to see the staff doing without the captains Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Julia Simon, despite everything that has happened off the slopes. There is therefore still a place to be taken alongside them, a priori.
A place for two with the Blues?
Fifth in the World Cup last winter, Océane Michelon would clearly have the profile. But the 23-year-old from Chambéry lacks shooting consistency this season. “I still see her rather fast on skis, also tense by her desire for results. She needs to learn to deal with this kind of situation.”analyzes the coach of the Bleues, Cyril Burdet,
from Le Figaro.
As a result, Océane Michelon finds herself in competition with the lovely surprise of the winter, Camille Bened, winner of the IBU Cup (the lower division) a few months ago. “ Until now, density had closed the doors a little to him. It’s also very nice to see that when they open up, Camille knows how to seize opportunities. It is also a message to the entire sector”assumes Cyril Burdet.
The two young women have quite different profiles. Faster on skis, Océane Michelon perhaps has greater potential, but Camille Bened, best shooter on the circuit this winter, conversely displays exceptional consistency, which allows her to be in 6th place in the general World Cup rankings, when Michelon is currently 12th. In the end, this makes two different cards to play for the Blues. Who are not obliged to always use the same assets in each race.
