The Biathlon World Cup season is over. The French championships will still take place at the weekend – but without many stars. Olympic champion Quentin Fillon-Maillet explains why he urgently needs a break.
The French championships will take place without superstar Quentin Fillon-Maillet. There are good reasons for that.
“After the season there is a lot of exhaustion and there are a lot of requests. Four years ago I was so exhausted that I won’t repeat that mistake this year. It’s not because I didn’t want to run. I had to make decisions,” he said at a press conference, according to Nordic Magazine.
“If I had to run a race this weekend, it would have been the relay,” he added.
The French Championships are an annual tradition. “It’s hard for us because we’re doing 35 international races in a row, not to mention the roller ski races and everything that goes with it. We’re putting an enormous strain on our bodies,” he continued. “I feel so tired that I feel like I’m sick. That gives an idea of the state I’m in. Since it took me almost two seasons to recover from the exhaustion four years ago, I don’t want to overdo it this time.”
Biathlon: Fillon-Maillet wants to continue until the 2030 Olympics
Quentin Fillon-Maillet recently ended speculation about his future: The Frenchman announced in an interview with the “AFP” news agency that he would like to continue his career for longer. The 33-year-old even wants to continue until the 2030 Winter Olympics.
The upcoming Winter Games will take place in France. They should represent a very last, big highlight for Fillon Maillet.
“In Beijing I was 29 years old. I asked myself whether I would still be able to perform on skis in four years,” said the veteran: “I showed that I am still very fit and was even one of the best performers on skis at the Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina. So why not at the age of 37?”
In Antholz, Quentin Fillon Maillet won four Olympic medals, including three gold medals (sprint, relay, mixed relay). He had already won gold in the individual and pursuit in Beijing 2022, and he is also a six-time world champion and overall World Cup winner in 2021/22.
