Full of confidence before the Beijing Olympics. Anaïs Chevalier-Bouchet climbed, this Sunday, on the 3rd step of the podium of the mass start of Antholz (Italy), which closed the 7th stage of the Biathlon World Cup. The French was overtaken by Dorothea Wierer and Dzinara Alimbekava.
Anaïs Chevalier had missed the first two races of the weekend in Italy to prepare for the Olympics. And she made a remarkable comeback. In the absence of the Norwegian Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, leader of the general classification, and the Swedish sisters Elvira and Hanna Oeberg, spared for the Olympic Games, the Frenchwoman signed her 3and podium of the season (the 17th of his career), after his 2and place on the Östersund sprint and its 3and place on the pursuit the following week still in Sweden.
A necessarily encouraging result less than two weeks before the start of the Games, even if she has long been in the fight to win the second victory of her career. Very skilled behind the rifle (19/20), she emerged in the lead after the first shot standing in front of Tiril Eckhoff and Dzinara Alimbekava. A first place that she kept thanks to a new faultless during the final passage behind the targets.
But she struggled much more on skis. And in the last lap, she could not resist the return of Dorothea Wierer, who won her 13th career victory at home, and the Belarusian Alimbekava. “I suffered in all the laps. I felt that Dorothea had juice. Given the week I did, I knew it was going to be complicated, she confided to the microphone of the L’Equipe channel. I finished the job well. I leave this week having worked well.
Anaïs Chevalier and Les Bleues, including Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, who concluded her weekend with a 5and place after his victory over the Individual, have an appointment in Beijing, where they will try to hoist the colors of France high and win gold.