Sports Eventsevents
Ski Chrono
Parade for all transalpine national teams with two men of reference that point to the big target.
Tuesday 15 October 2019 5 minutes reading time
The Equipe de France presented itself to the public and the media on Monday in Paris, with Martin Fourcade and Alexis Pinturault in particular with their lights on.
If the champions of biathlon already have 7 World Cups on the bulletin board, but want to recover the scepter sold last season to Johannes Thingnes Boe, the Courchevel skier goes in search of his first crystal ball, with the withdrawal of Marcel Hirscher places at least among the first two favorites for the general, in the company of Henrik Kristoffersen.
FOURCADE: "LAST SEASON? I WILL DECIDE "MORE" FORWARD "
The French media have repeatedly pressed Martin Fourcade's button to withdraw at the end of the season, but the person concerned kept every door open.
"Like after the PyeongChang Games, I'll make the point at the end of the season considering all the factors, namely performance, fun, family life - the words of the French ace - I don't think too much about it, the last race could also be the one final of my career as it could have been in 2018 after the Olympics. I'm focused on the desire to do well, I don't think I would go beyond Beijing 2022 anyway ".
To the colleagues of Ski Chrono, Fourcade explained in detail the reasons for the performance below standard in the 2018/19 vintage: “I did not take the time to rest after PyeongChang. I wanted to try some things with a new coach (Vincent Vittoz, ed), I went too fast and at the beginning of winter, in the final race, I lacked freshness. What do I expect from the new season? I want to find the lost fun last year and fight every day to win. "
PINTURAULT: "I AM BETWEEN FAVORITES, BUT ..."
That of Alexis Pinturault was a positive summer in terms of preparation, as confirmed by the 28-year-old Savoyard who, starting from Wednesday (although snow is expected to come) will go up to Soelden with his teammates to prepare the planned debut on the Rettenbach on October 27th.
"I am happy with the work done, I had some defects to fix even on a physical level, like a problem with the patellar tendon - Alexis explained - Everything went well on the skis, I am ready but not impatient".
The question is obvious: without Marcel Hirscher, will the role of favorite fall right on Pinturault? "I think it will be strange, when we get to Soelden, to find ourselves without a reference like Marcel. A champion like him allowed me to raise the bar and it is clear that I will try to evolve to get closer to the goal of the general World Cup, but the fight will remain very hard with all the other opponents. I'm talking about the Norwegians, Swiss, other ready-made Austrians, Dominik Paris and, as far as the slalom is concerned, Clement Noel. I think it will be a very tough fight. "
Alexis' programming is clear: "Like last year, I will give priority to slalom and giant. Of course, there will also be the combined treatment, but in terms of training it won't change much. Many small factors will be needed to fight against the general classification, but it will be fundamental constancy, at the same time risk and the necessary amusement â€.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Social media engagement
Più letti in Sport invernali
Buone sensazioni confermate, Odermatt lunedì partirà per il Cile: So che inizialmente dovrò andarci cauto
Al Blick, il campionissimo rossocrociato ha parlato del suo infortunio, che riguarda l'anca, costretto a partire sette giorni più tardi rispetto al previsto e con i velocisti del team di CdM. Coach Krug: Il suo corpo ha detto start-stop, credo che questa paura forzata non sia stata negativa.
85