There are certain values in sport on which to rely: the PSG which is still out of the Champions League at the end of an incredible scenario, Thibaut Pinot or Richard Gasquet who make us believe that this year is the good (finally less and less), and the French biathlon which released yet another nugget capable of winning the big globe. After Patrice Bailly-Salins, Raphaël Poirée, Anne Briand, Emmanuelle Claret, Sandrine Bailly, Martin Fourcade and Quentin Fillon Maillet, here comes Julia Simon, this season, to put the spatulas and the rifle at the window to plant the blue white red flag on top of the biathlon planet.
And as much to say that no one was expecting the Savoyard, at the top of the general classification before the sprint in Pokljuca (Slovenia), this Thursday, at this level. Finally, nobody, it is quickly said. “It makes me laugh people who say that it is revealed this season, judge Célia Aymonier, withdrawn from the slopes for almost three years. Me, it does not surprise me at all, it is in continuity, I thought that one day it would arrive there. That’s what she had been claiming for a while. But between pretending and succeeding, there is often a chasm. Thirteenth and twelfth overall the last two years, Julia Simon, despite some big blows, tended to disappoint.
Start from scratch on prone shooting
The fault, often, of a lying shot which gave her a thousand miseries, as during the sprint in Hochfilzen (Austria), in 2021, where she left the shooting range with four penalty laps. At that time, the biathlete from Les Saisies was then in the process of changing her way of shooting. “In bed, I dismantled what she had learned, because it was a bad learning, which does not bring regularity at any time, told shooting coach Jean-Paul Giachino at nordicmag. The fundamentals of shooting, Julia didn’t have them because they hadn’t been told to her, she hadn’t heard them. »
And starting from scratch, at 24 (in 2020), is not easy. “When you break patterns that have been anchored for a long time, you must necessarily accept to go through a phase of regression, recalls the new coach of the French teams, Cyril Burdet. And it’s difficult for an athlete of this level to go through this phase. The Swiss Selina Gasparin, who finished second in Julia Simon’s first World Cup victory in Kontiolahti (Finland) in 2020, knows something about it:
I also changed my way of shooting during my career. You can learn different things, but when you find yourself in the race, with stress, it’s really complicated to put new things in place, because of the automatisms that come back, given the short time you have to put everything in place. place on the carpet, tells 20 Minutes the one who hung up the skis in 2022. So it’s hard to resist going back to the old method.
Only one error in prone shooting since the start of the season
The Giachino method took two years to bear fruit. And, from now on, the Lucky Luke of the snows puts everyone in agreement on the launch pad. Admire the perfection: 99% success on the prone shot, 85% on the standing (84% and 78% last season, 72% and 81% two years ago). On the International Federation website, she already has the sniper and rapid shooter badges. “The prone shot was the key for her, develops Selina Gasparin. She already had a really good standing shot, especially the last one, when she got face-to-face with other girls. Still, it’s the hardest thing. But she was always strong on that, she knew she finished races strong. »
With the balls coming in from everywhere, there is almost nothing left to do but slip on the skis to get ahead of the competition. Well almost. A few adjustments have also been made. “The strategy we had was to work on its economy more than on its performance, because it already had a very efficient and powerful ski, but no doubt a bit energy-intensive, explains Cyril Burdet. So we tried to improve his gestural economy more than anything else, even if it’s still quite fine as a benefit. »
“She will fight until the last centimeter of the track”
The whole thing combined has therefore propelled Julia Simon, three victories since the start of the season, to the top of the World Cup standings, yellow bib on her shoulders, with a small lead over the runner-up, the Swedish Elvira Oeberg. “With this jersey, whatever happens during the race, she will fight to the last centimeter of the track to grab places, assures Célia Aymonier. Julia is a girl who has always fought and, even if she made two or three mistakes on the first shot, she continued to fight. Today, it serves him. »
Especially when the hardest part comes, with the pressure, the expectations and the new status coming to rest delicately on his shoulders for a long time. “She realizes all that it represents on a daily basis, explains Cyril Burdet. She approaches this period in the right way. It must continue to be in conquering mode and to seek results rather than putting itself in defense mode for the yellow jersey, which would be the worst strategy. »
“Serene and mature”
But the coach of the France team is confident. Especially since his protege was able to benefit from good conditions at Les Saisies during the truce, when most French resorts were looking for snow like Gianni Infantino a new idea that was detestable for football: “She has a temperament where, if there had competitions every day, it would suit him very well. But you have to manage to find this balance between the phases of tension and the phases of relaxation. I find her serene and mature. Afterwards, she’s a girl who went through a lot of failures, who lived through a lot of difficult times. And it helps him appreciate those times of success. »
It remains to be seen how long this golden period can/will last. “Julia has a strength, it is that she is just concerned about her, concludes Selina Gasparin. She was never upset about being No. 2 or 3 in the French team, not being the fastest at some point, she took care of herself, and that was very important . She has what it takes to succeed and I am sure she will maintain her level this year. The most difficult will surely be next year when she will have to confirm. We have time to talk about it again.