French biathlon has many reasons to smile. Again this weekend, in Grand-Bornand. A victory with Justine Braisaz-Bouchet on Friday in the sprint, and this Saturday, three podiums, two for the boys (Eric Perrot 2nd, Emilien Jacquelin 3rd) and one for the girls (Julia Simon, 2nd). In short, it's a party. But not for everyone. Some people look grim. Like Lou Jeanmonnot, a bit missing out on the French stage at the moment, or Quentin Fillon Maillet. But for him, it's starting to last.
The Jura is going through a delicate period. This season, he is dragging out his misery a little, with the exception of the mass start of Kontiolahti, where he took second place behind Eric Perrot. But what could have served as a trigger was instead an exception: a lightening in the gray. Since then, almost everything has been complicated for the winner of the big globe in 2022. Judge for yourself:
Sprint Hochfilzen: 36e
Hochfilzen Pursuit: 20th
Sprint Le Grand-Bornand: 10th
Le-Grand-Bornand Pursuit: 24th
Apart from his top 10 snatched Thursday in the sprint, he is struggling and he was unable to capitalize on Saturday on the fact of being well placed at the start of the pursuit. His 13 out of 20 notably confirmed his recurring shooting difficulties. “There are days when it's better than others, today it wasn't that at allhe confided upon arrival. It's difficult to swallow all this: with a beautiful day of skiing like this, the public makes you want to succeed like Éric (Perrot) and Émilien (Jacquelin) did..”
There's tension, that's what I feel
That's the whole problem with prosecution. When it doesn't fit well, it's difficult to stay involved until the end in your head. Fillon Maillet admits, it was largely in his head that he said: “In standing shooting, it was a little harder to motivate yourself while being behind. I'm looking for shooting. There is tension, that's what I feel.”
He is looking for solutions but, for the moment, has not found any. He has more questions than answers. Thursday, he deplored his skiing times, which did not correlate with his feelings, which were rather good. But the material considerations of the day undoubtedly did not explain everything.
Fillon Maillet: “I don’t really understand my ski times, it doesn’t reflect my feelings”
Video credit: Eurosport
On Saturday, it was again his shot that escaped him wide. “Although I have progressed through the years in biathlon, sometimes we get lost along the way, even with more experience.“, regrets Quentin Fillon Maillet. He still has the mass start on Sunday to try to leave Le Grand-Bornand on a more positive note in order to dispel (a little) doubt before the end of year celebrations.
Good news, it is for the moment in this event that he has achieved his only convincing result of the winter as an individual. “I hope to find keys for tomorrow” (Sunday, for the mass start, Editor's note). Relegated to 9th place in the general ranking of the World Cup, QFM is looking for a new lease of life, a new start. It is not yet too late. But time is starting to run out .
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