The cauldron of Grand-Bornand is ready to boil once again for its tricolor heroes. The day after Justine Braisaz-Bouchet's victory in the sprint, it was the men's turn to ignite the track and the Haute-Savoie shooting range. Eric Perrot (7th at the start at 42 seconds), Emilien Jacquelin (8th at 45''), Quentin Fillon Maillet (10th at 50'') and others will still have a lot to do to catch up with the Norwegian rockets Martin Uldal and Johannes Boe , first to set off… Follow the chase, departure at 12:30 p.m.
12h10 : The tension rises crescendo in Grand-Bornand, and the atmosphere too! The best of French song resonates in the ears with of course DJ Matafan. But also the French shooting coach Jean-Paul Giachino, more exotic, caught humming the Pena Baiona.
More to Sebastian Samuelsson's advantage, the speakers spit ABBA at will.
Towards a new Norwegian treble?
12h05 : Small flashback to 2022, during the last visit of the World Cup to Grand-Bornand. That year, three different Norwegians won the three men's races scheduled in Haute-Savoie. Johannes Boe distinguished himself from the sprint in front of Sturla Laegreid, this same Laegreid won the pursuit in front of Vetle Christiansen and Boe, finally Johannes Dale settled the mass start in front of Laegreid and Boe. Of the nine places available on the podium that weekend, the Norwegians occupied eight.
Will they repeat this feat this year?
11:50 a.m.: The conditions are ideal at Grand-Bornand, the wind will not disturb the biathletes, particularly at the shooting range with only 1 km/h of wind recorded.
The same goes for snow, everything is optimal. Met this morning, Bleus coach Simon Fourcade assures us: “it should be skiing very quickly”!
11:35 a.m.: A little alpine skiing break while the ski world held its breath for the big return of American legend Lindsey Vonn to competition. The 40-year-old Speed Queen will get into the points in the super-G in Saint-Moritz (Switzerland) as she finished her run 1'18'' behind the provisional leader, the Austrian Cornelia Huetter. A probable top 20 for his comeback… Breathtaking.
Back to biathlon and Grand-Bornand now.
11h25 : During the first pursuit of the season in Hochfilzen (Austria), Johannes Boe won ahead of Emilien Jacquelin and Sturla Laegreid. The Norwegian winner achieved the double after his victory in the sprint. In a very good position this Saturday at Grand-Bornand, will he manage to secure the 26th victory of his career in the specialty?
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Will the French be able to catch up?
11:18 a.m.: Two days after the sprint, the pursuit. For the uninitiated, the principle is simple: competitors take turns, depending on the time they achieved in the sprint. Winner on Thursday, the Norwegian Martin Uldal will be the first to set off at exactly 12:30 p.m., followed a second after him by his compatriot Johannes Boe then by the Swede Sebastian Samuelsson (11 seconds behind).
The French will start a little further away and will therefore have to catch up during the 12.5 km and four shots on the program. Eric Perrot will start in 7th position 42 seconds behind, followed by Emilien Jacquelin (8th at 45''), Quentin Fillon Maillet (10th at 45''), Fabien Claude (24th at 1'24''), Antonin Guigonnat (27th at 1'26'') and Emilien Claude (37th at 1'36'').
11:10 a.m.: Clearly, the days follow each other but are not the same at Grand-Bo. After the rain and snow on Thursday for the men's sprint, after the beautiful Friday for the women's sprint, the conditions are still different this Saturday for the pursuits with an overcast sky above the Haute-Savoie resort. Temperature-wise, the thermometer shows exactly 0 degrees today.
11:05 a.m.: Hello, and welcome to this live commentary. Together, we will follow the first of the two pursuits this Saturday in Grand-Bornand. The men enter the track first in front of the bustling Haute-Savoie public. The first to leave will be the Norwegian Uldal at 12:30 p.m.
