For Frenchwoman Chloé Orvain, the past biathlon season did not go as hoped. In an interview, the 20-year-old took a self-critical assessment.
In the winter, Chloé Orvain aimed for her first international qualification at U21 level. After finishing second in her category in the opening sprint of the French Cup in Bessans at the end of November, she appeared to be well on her way to qualifying for the Junior Cup in Goms, Switzerland.
“I was in third place at the time, so my qualification was almost certain,” Orvain recalled in an interview with Nordic Magazine. “Unfortunately I completely messed up my competition the next day and that was a huge disappointment. It was my goal for the season and I realized I was going to miss it.”
Despite everything, the ski hunter did not let this setback discourage her, she was on the podium in the sprints in Contamines-Montjoie and Prémanon in the second half of the season and ended the winter in eighth place in the French U21 Cup.
Biathlon ace spends too much time on the mat
According to her own statement, Orvain was “very satisfied” with her running level, but she left a lot to be desired at the shooting range in the last few months.
“I’m very good at my sprints and have excellent statistics, but as soon as I switched to four-shot races, at the end of the season I only scored 12 out of 20 hits,” the Frenchwoman summed up self-critically.
Orvain added: “Apart from the statistics, the biggest disadvantage is the time I spend on the shooting range. Even if I have 10 out of 10 hits, I’m a good 30 seconds slower than the others. In the four-man competitions, where things are often tough, I notice that I’m slower and lose my rhythm.”
Intensive shooting training should help in the upcoming preparation. “This summer I want to work on my shot and execution speed so that it becomes more fluid and natural and I no longer have so many questions on the mat,” Orvain revealed: “That’s exactly what I want to focus on next year.”
