Julia Simon caused a stir at the last Biathlon World Cup in Oberhof with two podium finishes and a fourth place. Above all, her victory with the relay stands out – it was her first appearance in the French quartet after serving her suspension. Former world champion Sandrine Bailly sees the 29-year-old on the right path back to her old strength.
“She needed the confrontation and the group to gain intensity again after training alone for a while,” said Bailly, looking back on Simon’s performance at the Biathlon World Cup in Oberhof in an article for Nordic Magazine: “Nothing is better than confrontation to make progress and reach new milestones.”
Simon, after her conviction in court for credit card fraud and serving her suspension, is now an integral part of the French World Cup team again. In Oberhof she initially shone with a third place in the sprint, her first podium finish of the season. She was then appointed to the squadron. As the final runner (2 errors), she secured the team victory ahead of Norway and Germany. On Sunday she narrowly missed out on the podium again in her pursuit, but then appeared extremely contrite.
Bailly summarized: “Now she is gradually gaining experience and returning to the level we know her to be. It’s not very surprising that she has caught up with the others so quickly, considering her personality.”
Jeanmonnot? Top 10 result no longer “sufficient”
Physically, however, Julia Simon is “not yet in her best shape. You can feel that it can be a bit difficult.” There is “a little room for improvement, but she analyzes her situation well, which allows her to adapt. That is her strength.”
The 2005 overall World Cup winner also commented on Lou Jeanmonnot’s sobering weekend, who is traveling to the World Cup in Ruhpolding (January 14th to 18th) in the yellow jersey despite the results in the sprint (7th) and pursuit (10th). “She wasn’t in her best physical shape in the sprint, but things went better in the pursuit race,” said Bailly: “She’s well placed, but not at the level she had hoped for. Lou is very perfectionist and of course that doesn’t suit her.”
A top 10 placement is now “not enough” for the ambitious Jeanmonnot. Despite everything, you have to put things into perspective: It’s not a major weakness in performance. Everything is fine. She’s not physically exhausted and has placed herself. There’s no reason to worry. She knows what she can do and will quickly catch up in Ruhpolding.”