French Coach Simon Fourcade on Comebacks, Eric, Quentin and Antholz
Simon Fourcade took over as French Men’s Head Coach Simon Fourcade in the spring of 2023 His team struggled to reach the podium until the last trimester of the 2023/24. However, this talented team turned it around last season with individual victories, Eric Perrot’s IBU WCH Gold medal and winning the World Cup Relay Score and Nations Cups.
This week, Fourcade discussed confidence, team success and the Olympic competitions at Antholz.
Biathlonworld: After the 2023-24 season with limited success, how satisfying was 2024/25?
Simon Fourcade: The first season was quite challenging. I knew I had good, really talented guys, but things with the previous coaches had not gone so well and they had some doubt. I did not have many expectations, and felt they needed time to adjust working with Jean Pierre Amat and myself. I knew it would be slow, but after January, we did not have a podium. That made me not so comfortable as a coach. But things went much better in the last trimester, and we almost had a podium sweep in the Soldier Hollow Sprint. That gave them good confidence going into the 2024/25 preparation.
My strategy for 2024/25 was to be more offensive. We put in almost 25% more intensity sessions than we did the year before. Confidence is really important in biathlon, and we kept our level all season. My fear was to start too fast and then crash, but we did not. When you start the season on top, you take that mental advantage against your opponents; I think we managed quite well, taking the Nations Cup for the first time and many athletes in the World Cup Top 10. I was really happy and satisfied about that. I must say that it is important to say that our service team did a very good job, making some changes from 2023/24. We had skis with very good glide all season.
BW: You always had high hopes for Eric Perrot, but did you expect such a good season with a Gold medal in Lenzerheide?
SF: I did not have such big expectations. I thought one medal would be really nice. What he did in the pursuit was really special (fastest ski time, going from 15th to 3rd). Eric is also really special. He said before the Championships he wanted to win Gold, so I knew he would not be satisfied with Bronze. He keeps quite cool and manages his nerves so well; he impresses the team more each year…We will see what the next step will be. The Olympics should be quite nice.
BW: Quentin Fillon Maillet had a really big comeback season with four IBU World Championships medals and 5th in the Total Score, did you see that coming?
SF: Maybe not at the at level. Quentin told me that… looking at all of last year, it was the best season of his career in ski performance. He just missed a few percentages on the shooting…He knows what he wants and will do everything to get that; sometimes too much. The main thing was to say to him that you have many years of training and sometimes you do not have to do so much. Trust yourself, choose the sessions to do more intensity…and if I tell him that he should rest more in the next days, he understands.
BW: What does returning Emilien Claude and Antonin Guigonnat mean to the team?
SF: Whan you looked at their results last year, it was obvious that they should come back to the main group. Antonin brings something special. Beyond his results, he brings a good team spirit with him and knows how to take down the pressure. He loves to be with people and raises the team spirit. For Emilien and Antonin, it was maybe good for them to go back to the B team. It was challenging but reminded them that nothing is given.
BW: Was winning the Nations and Relay Cup quite exciting?
SF: Getting these Cups was special because I know the level of our opponents, like Norway. A team can have a big star like Johannes or Martin; my goal is not to have one big guy, but to bring all my team to the front of the field. Having an athlete win the Total Score would make me happy, but winning these two Cups is even more important than having the Yellow Bib.
BW: Is your team where you expected heading towards the 2026 Olympics?
SF: For sure we are in a good position. Now the challenge is to tell the guys we need one more step. This year’s results will not be the same as last year if we do not continue to work. They are all pretty smart and know this…My job is to put the foot on the brake rather than accelerate their motivation. The athletes know they have the capacity to be the best on the tracks and the range. We have to prepare for Antholz as best as possible. The French team has quite a good history in Antholz, and we will try to continue this story.
Photos: IBU/Christian Manzoni, Nordic Focus
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