After missing out on a chance to compete in the World Cup in Geilo, last November Gaetan Paturel’s headed to the IBU Cup circuit. The first week found only double-digit results next to his name. Yet when the IBU Cup season ended last week, Paturel was at the top of the heap, winning the IBU Cup Total Score as well as the Sprint and Pursuit Scores.

Paturel came a long way this season. From his December 20 first-ever IBU Cup podium at Lenzerheide to his first-ever IBU Cup win in the Sjusjoen 40 days later, he climbed from 9th to 2nd in the Total Score, just 3 points then Green Jersey leader Damien Levet. 4th in the Lake Placid Short Individual vaulted the 22-year-old into the top spot and a clean-shooting Sprint win 6 days later sealed the Total Score Crystal Globe.

After sitting back for a bit to let the enormity of his amazingly successful season sink in, Paturel answered our five burning questions and one about his trip to the 1980 Olympic Biathlon venue in Lake Placid, USA.

Biathlonworld: Coming into this season, with juniors behind you, what were your goals?

Gaetan Paturel: At the beginning of the season, after a pretty successful final year as a junior in the IBU Cup, my goal was to achieve my first IBU podium finishes and move up to the World Cup. In reality, these goals have been more than achieved, and what I've managed has exceeded all my expectations. I've reached my first podiums and, most importantly, I've won my first IBU Cups, potentially earning me a spot on the World Cup circuit in Oslo! It's just perfect!

BW: Things really started rolling your way in Lenzerheide, is that when you maybe had some thoughts that you could win or at least battle for the Total Score?

GP: I started getting really good results from Lenzerheide onwards. At that point, I wasn't thinking about the overall standings at all, given that I was ranked very low. I managed to forge my own path to Sjusjøen, where I won my first individual European medal and my first victory the following week. It was after this victory that I realized I wasn't far from the top of the overall standings. When I got the leader's bib, that's when I told myself that I wanted to win this ranking and that it was possible. I put everything in place to do it, and I succeeded!

Biathlonworld: Has winning the Total Score Globe as well as the Sprint and Pursuit Globes sunk in yet or is it still like a dream?

GP: Honestly, I don't think I've really sunk in yet. I'm still fully focused on my season, preparing for what's next, and I haven't had time to really process things. Plus, I don't have the globes yet, so I think when I do, it will be completely different, and that's when I'll realize what I've accomplished!

BW: What does it feel like to be the first French male to win the IBU Cup Total Score?

GP: Actually, I hadn't really thought about it much before winning it. When I won this ranking, I knew that I'm now the first Frenchman to have won the overall IBU Cup ranking. In practical terms, it doesn't change much about what I've done, but it does bring a little extra pride, knowing that I'm forever the first to have won it, so I'm happy I did it!

BW: What lesson did a season like this teach you?

GP: The biggest lesson I learned is to enjoy myself during races, to smile, to have fun, and above all, to detach myself from the result and just do what I love. I had a very difficult start to the season, far from my expectations. I was really at rock bottom, and it was at that moment that I finally managed to enjoy myself on skis and behind the rifle without thinking about the result at all. I'm extremely proud to have found those solutions. It's thanks to all of that that I managed to do what I did!

Biathlonworld Bonus: Beyond winning all that crystal, what have you enjoyed the most about being in Lake Placid and the USA? GP: What I really enjoyed was discovering a new competition venue, a new culture, a new place. It's very different from home, and it's true that running on a site you're not used to is refreshing! I also really enjoyed playing hockey on the lake with the whole team; it was a really fun experience!

Paturel’s big season is not quite over. He will make his World Cup debut this week at Oslo, bringing his season full circle from his missed opportunity back in November, setting the stage for the next phase of his rising career.

Photos: IBU/Vanzetta, Harald Deubert, Nordic Focus