Despite an impeccable shooting performance, France’s biathlon star Julia Simon ended up at the bottom of the sprint race in Ruhpolding. The 29-year-old draws conclusions.
Julia Simon must have felt a bit like she was in the wrong ski hunter film during the sprint in Ruhpolding. Although the Frenchwoman cleared all five targets on the shooting range both lying down and standing, she only ended up in 25th place.
The reason: The 29-year-old couldn’t keep up with her rivals’ pace on the cross-country ski trail and was more than 1:12 minutes behind winner Hanna Öberg from Sweden after 7.5 kilometers.
Simon’s trainer Cyril Burdet told “L’Equipe” a reason for his ski hunter’s poor running performance. “Julia was unsure before the race. Since returning from the relay she hasn’t felt well and has a scratchy neck,” said Burdet and announced consequences for the rest of the World Cup weekend in Ruhpolding: “She wanted to run, but I think she won’t be at the start of the pursuit race and we will take her home so that she can recover as quickly as possible.”
Biathlon: Simon already felt “helpless” in the relay
Simon had already reported problems running after the relay race. Although she brought the French quartet back into line with the competition with faultless shooting, she was powerless on the last lap.
“It was painful. I gave it my all, but the others were so fast. It was a completely different pace. I felt helpless,” she said at the “L’Équipe” microphone. “The last lap is usually my strength, but this time I couldn’t hold my position. It was a real battle,” added the ten-time world champion.
After the cancellation of the Ruhpolding pursuit, it is unclear whether Simon will be at the start of the coming World Cup weekend in Nove Mesto.
The competitions in the Czech Republic are the final location determination for the biathletes before the Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in February.
