Emilien Jacquelin missed the big opportunity at the Biathlon World Cup in Solder Hollow to be at the top of the podium in an individual competition for the first time since December 2021. But the Frenchman’s disappointment didn’t last long.
Second place in the sprint, third place in the pursuit: biathlon professional Emilien Jacquelin can be more than satisfied with his results at the World Cup in the USA. But: There was even more possible in the race on Sunday, even a victory seemed possible.
Starting behind his compatriot and sprint winner Eric Perrot, the 28-year-old took the lead after the first shooting. Jacquelin also made no mistakes at the second attempt and the gap kept increasing.
But then the Frenchman’s nerves began to flutter: he picked up three penalties, and the Norwegians around Sturla Holm Laegreid and Johannes Thingnes Bö took the lead.
Biathlon professional Jacquelin: “I stuck with it”
“I said to myself: ‘Damn, why are you doing such things?’ Jacquelin then explained to La Chaîne L’Equipe in the mixed zone: “I wouldn’t say that I was too much in the attack, but it was missing a small detail of determination and concentration.” During the penalty laps he had already gone into error analysis and told himself strongly: “I know that I can do it.”
And in fact: In the last shooting, Jacquelin hit every target again, giving him a chance to get on the podium again. He took third place just behind Tarjei Bö and just ahead of Sturla Holm Laegreid, while Johannes Thingnes Bö, who started from 17th place, came first.
“I’m very happy with this podium,” the Frenchman concluded: “With the Norwegians around me, I thought about all my fourth places at the beginning of the year. I stuck with it and gave it my all.” At the World Cup in Ruhpolding, he narrowly missed the podium by finishing fourth in both the sprint and the pursuit.