A little over a month before the start of the Olympic Games, Julia Simon blames her good friend Ingrid Tandrevold.
Johannes Boe’s retirement has so far been painless for the men’s biathlon team. Since the start of the season, Johan Olav Botn has indeed taken over and continues to impress, notably thanks to a particularly efficient shot. An impressive World Cup leader, the 26-year-old biathlete appears to be one of the main favorites for the next Olympic Games.
And in the wake of the native of Stårheim, Vetle Sjastad Christiansen, Sturla Holm Laegreid and Johannes Dale-Skjevdal, all in the Top 10 of the general classification, will be serious candidates for the medal. The situation is somewhat different for girls. Because if Maren Kirkeeide is the runner-up to Lou Jeanmonnot, no other Norwegian emerges in the Top 10. This is particularly the fault of the most complicated start of the season experienced by Ingrid Trandrevold, the leading figure of Norwegian biathlon.
The Grand-Bornand stage was particularly complicated with a 39e place on the sprint and a 24e on the pursuit. Poor performances which deprived it of the mass start and earned it a modest 35e place in the general classification of the World Cup. “We are far from what I hoped fordreamed or waited. But I try to learn as much as possible from it, it’s better than blacking everything out “, she commented for Norwegian television.
“It’s not easy to see a friend struggling”
The situation is such that she is not even sure of participating in the Olympic Games in February in Italy. “ First, I have to try to qualify for the Olympics. For the moment, it is not at all obvious “, she confided, her trainer, Sverre Huber Kaas, wanting to be more reassuring. “ With Ingrid’s experience, it should be fine, but we can’t select her right away “, he said.
And the concern is shared by Julia Simon, her great friend on the World Cup circuit. “ It’s not easy to see a friend struggling. I know her, she can do much better “, she confided, adding: “ She knows what to do, she has everything to win. She just needs to concentrate, be confident and have fun, especially when shooting, without doubting. » Everything except the obvious.
