Julia Simon is unstoppable. Leader in the general classification of the Biathlon World Cup, the Frenchwoman won the title of pursuit world champion on Sunday, after making a crazy rise in the classification. The biathlete exchanged a few words after her race, a testimony filled with emotions and joy.
Journalist : How do you feel about this first world title?
Julia Simon : “It’s pretty crazy, it’s getting real. I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and I think I’m going to be scared when I look at it. It’s a great moment. I was great concentrated, I had my strategy, I was really impervious to everything that could happen around me, I had a blast Seeing Cyril (Burdet, coach of Les Bleues, editor’s note) like crazy on the edge of the track, it does something. It was a really great moment.”
Journalist : We saw you overcome by emotion…
Julia Simon : “These are times you have to live to understand. Me, I’m a bit impervious to emotions, modest in feelings, but there are times when you have to let all that out a bit. I stayed focused until at the top of the big bump and after, when Cyril said to me: “It’s good, you did it!”, there, my legs started to shake. I said to myself “P …, it’s true, with thirty seconds, she (Denise Herrmann-Wick, 2nd) will not come back.” It’s incredible. It’s a culmination in my career too, it rewards all the work I’ve I was able to do. I had doubts, like everyone else, I had difficult times. On the podium, I had the emotions that were starting to come. I’m super happy to share it with two great champions like Denise (Herrmann-Wick) and Marte (Roeiseland), who are Olympic champions and have enormous experience, it’s a great moment.”
Journalist : What does this victory represent?
Julia Simon : “Marte (Roeiseland) told me that it was strong to win with the yellow jersey (of the leader of the general classification of the World Cup, editor’s note). There, I told myself that I too could perform in ( big) championships. Until now, I didn’t have an individual medal. I’m proving to myself that I can do it. Afterwards, it doesn’t change the face of the world, it won’t change my life, it adds a line to my list, a nice line. I trained for that, I train to experience these emotions.”
Journalist : Tell us about the last shot against Herrmann-Wick…
Julia Simon : “I was really ultra concentrated, the visibility was not obvious, but I was fine right away, so I said to myself “Come on, I’m going”. I shoot one or two bullets before her, I hear that she misses a ball, I also miss one at that moment. Afterwards, I remained really waterproof, I put my last ball and when I put my straps back on, I heard that “she was missing one more ball. I thought to myself: ‘Now is the time to really leave her no hope, to go strong right away’.”
Journalist : In what state of mind did you approach this pursuit?
Julia Simon : “I know that I missed my sprint (Simon only finished 10th on Friday, editor’s note), that I did not do a good job, but that does not mean that the pursuit is over. I am someone who likes to be in battle, who likes challenges, and that race was a great challenge. “Paulo” (Jean-Paul Giachino, the shooting coach of Les Bleues), he doesn’t tell me don’t say “full attack” too much, he’s wary, because he knows that I’m always on the razor’s edge… I’m always on the attack, it’s my way of doing biathlon, my way of live shooting. I just need to channel this energy, to manage to stay calm on my shots lying down and to put a little more on my feet, with this spirit of commitment. Today (Sunday), I managed to manage all that, I was very serene, very confident.”
Journalist : What does this world title change in your eyes?
Julia Simon : “It changes absolutely nothing. Afterwards, we erase, we start over, we start from scratch. But this medal, now I have it, no one will take it away from me and it feels good.”