It was hard to imagine the astonishing declaration of Vincent Vittoz on Émilien Jacquelin, treated as “depressive athlete for a year and a half”, remaining unanswered. She came this Saturday morning, on Twitter. The double silver medalist at the Beijing Olympics replied to the coach of the French men’s biathlon team who, with his colleague Patrick Favre, announced his departure at the end of the season.
“Affirming that someone is depressed or sick is the responsibility of a doctor, reacted the 27-year-old Isérois. Announcing it publicly without the consent of the person betrays medical secrecy. Depression is an important, difficult subject, using it to explain a lack of performance is clumsy. »
A season ended prematurely
“This subject affects men and women before talking about athletes or shooting level, continued the biathlete. And it is not doing a favor to those who suffer from it to point fingers and make amalgams on an athlete in failure. It’s probably a clumsiness due to too many emotions but the subject is too important not to mention it. »
Jacquelin climbed on three of the Blues’ five individual podiums in the World Cup in 2022-2023, and ended his season prematurely in mid-February, after the Oberhof Worlds in Germany.
“Can’t wait to find the group,” he concluded on Twitter. With other coaches than those who had been officiating happily since 2018, before a very complicated last campaign.