Youth and Three Olympic Medalists

Only three of the eight athletes who played a part in those medal-winning performances remain on the French squad, Defrasne (age 32), Sandrine Bailly (age 29), and Sylvie Becaert (age 34). They are now the veterans on a team filled with upcoming stars, who are from 21 to 26 years old. Taking home that many medals from Vancouver will be a challenge for this group, but it is not an unrealistic goal.

Despite mixed results from the veteran group last season, the French Team as a whole performed admirably. Simon Fourcade and Vincent Jay made podium appearances, while Bailly, Becaert, Marie Dorin, and Marie Laure Brunet also reached the podium individually. However, the Relays were the consistently a highlight for the French Team. In Pyeongchang, they took Bronze in both the Men’s and Women’s Relay, while winning the Gold in the Mixed Relay.

The younger athletes have great respect for their older teammates. Brunet commented after a second place Relay finish in Östersund, “It was a great honor for me . . . to share this moment with strong experienced women like Sandrine Bailly, Sylvie Becaert.”

Family Atmosphere

Their Relay successes tell a lot about the makeup of this team. They have a great, and possibly a unique atmosphere that brings this group together. Simon Fourcade explained, “I think our team is like a family because we work together all of the time. In a big team, I do not think it is like this. We train with the women all of the time at all of our training camps. We try to help each other. We are just a medium size team and the same athlete may not have good results every weekend, so we need to help each other.” His brother Martin added, “Biathlon is a small sport in France, so we have to remain like a family.”

Medal for the Team

After the Mixed Relay Gold (S. Fourcade, Defrasne, Bailly, and Brunet), the closeness of the French Team again came out as Fourcade commented, “In the Mixed Relay, the whole team is represented. So this is not a medal for four, it is a medal for all of us: for our other teammates and our coaches, for our waxmen, and for the whole National Federation.”

That closeness could take the French team back to the podium more often this year, even in Vancouver. I last year’s World Cup at the Whistler Olympic Park venue, Jay won the 20K Individual, the Men’s Relay finished second, and Bailly had two of her best competitions of the season. The reaction from several of the athletes was simply that “it was a good place for our team.”

Defrasne and Bailly Look Strong

Going into the Olympic season, there have been a few bumps in the road for the French squad, like an injury to Simon Fourcade that shut him down for a time. Yet, according to National Biathlon Coordinator Christophe Vassallo, training has gone well and according to plan. Regarding individual athletes, he commented, “Vincent Defrasne was in fine form at our summer championships. At the same time, Sandrine Bailly is shooting well and looks good going into the season. Regarding the younger athletes, Brunet’s talent continues to show, with Marie Dorin and Martin Fourcade as the next ones to watch.”

Whether or not Vancouver proves to be a repeat performance for the French Team is yet to be seen. Nevertheless, this close-knit team is loaded with talent, and will compete with emotion and aggression every time they step on the tracks.