Shocking experience for Sophie Chauveau: The French biathlete fell badly during a bike ride, which resulted in her being hospitalized. The accident was caused by a dog.
On Thursday morning, Sophie Chauveau got on her bike to clear her head two days before her planned arrival at the training camp of the French women’s national biathlon team in Premanon.
But the 2024 relay world champion’s trip ended earlier than expected – and extremely painfully. “On a descent, a loose dog ran right in front of my bike as I was coming around the curve and a collision occurred,” Chauveau wrote on Instagram.
The 27-year-old continued: “First my head hit the ground (luckily I was wearing a helmet), but the rest of my body followed. I lost consciousness and then went to the emergency room…”
There, Chauveau received good and bad news. Miraculously, the bones remained intact and no fractures were found. But she suffered a severe concussion, which, according to the ski hunter, “will take some time” to heal, as well as other minor injuries.
As expected, Chauveau is now missing from the national team’s training camp, which began on Saturday. She was given rest. “Lots of rest, recovery and a gradual return when the time is right,” she said, summarizing her plans for the coming weeks.
From the IBU Cup to the Biathlon World Cup
Chauveau started last season in the second-class IBU Cup, where she achieved two victories in the sprint (Lenzerheide) and the short individual (Arber).
At the European Championships in Sjusjöen she won a total of three medals: she came third in the sprint and pursuit, and she even won gold with the France relay.
In the last World Cup trimester, Chauveau moved up to France’s A squad and was used in Kontiolahti, Finland (32nd place in the individual), in Otepää, Estonia (place 37 in the sprint and 38th in the pursuit) and in Oslo, Norway (place 55 in the sprint and 48th in the pursuit).