The French biathlon team can look back on a successful season. Julia Simon in particular provided great highlights and triumphed in the overall women’s World Cup. Satisfaction prevails in management.
“Overall, I’m satisfied with the results,” said Pierre Mignerey in an interview with “Nordic Magazine” looking back on the French winter sports season.
The 50-year-old works as Technical Director for the French Ski Association. So Mignerey not only has biathlon in mind, but also numerous other winter sports.
“Biathlon remains a discipline that brings us podiums and medals,” the official knows: “It was perhaps a little less efficient for the men, but it was very good for the women! It remains a successful winter.”
Julia Simon was the big superstar in the French biathlon team. The 26-year-old won the overall World Cup for the first time in her career. At the World Championships in Oberhof, Simon won gold in the pursuit and bronze in the mixed relay and mass start.
In the men’s category, Quentin Fillon Maillet was the best Frenchman in eighth place in the overall World Cup. With Fabien Claude (10th), another compatriot landed among the top ten athletes.
“Both on a sporting and media level, biathlon is the engine of French winter sports,” Mignerey said. “But if there is a slightly more negative side, it is that other athletes, such as cross-country skiers, sometimes have the impression of being in the shadows and not as prominent as biathlon,” he explained the downside of the Medal.
“I knew cross-country skiing and biathlon relatively well”
In addition, Mignerey, who took over the post of technical director six months ago, drew a personal interim conclusion.
“It’s a challenging and rewarding job. I knew cross-country skiing and biathlon relatively well but not the rest and it was great to discover the other disciplines. It’s interesting to see how both work. It was an instructive first semester !” Mignerey said.