Julia Simon secured the overall World Cup victory in the women’s biathlon with a 182-point lead over second-placed Dorothea Wierer. Due to her role as a favourite, the Frenchwoman also had to contend with high expectations.
“The World Championships were very important, I came with the yellow jersey and was under a lot of pressure,” said Simon to “biathlonworld.com” with a view to the World Championships in Oberhof.
The 26-year-old added: “I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.” Nevertheless, she draws a positive World Cup conclusion. Simon took gold in the pursuit, plus two bronze medals in the mixed relay and mass start.
After the World Championships, Simon was able to focus fully on the World Cup again. Overall victory was never the focus. “Before the season, I just wanted to be more consistent and didn’t think so much about the overall standings,” emphasized Simon, adding: “It was just nice to wear that yellow jersey and I just tried to do my best in every competition give.”
Simon only thought from race to race. “I think the most important thing was to do my best on the shooting range and to be really focused there. I’m very happy with my prone shooting,” said the 26-year-old.
After Simon secured the overall victory, Lisa Vittozzi of all people, one of her biggest competitors, was one of the first to congratulate her.
Biathlon star Simon wants to be “mentally ready”.
“She just congratulated me and said I deserved it – that was very nice of her to tell me that,” Simon enthused: “It was so nice, I was really happy that she was there. It is always good to have a friend around.”
Simon is particularly looking forward to the upcoming break in her home country. “I think I need some time to myself and maybe I should rest a little more after the season and only get back to training when I’m ready, especially mentally,” said the Beijing silver medalists.