His dreams of a big crystal globe gone, Quentin Fillon-Maillet only has the 2021 Worlds, whose sprint is scheduled for this Friday (2:30 p.m.), to save his season and justify his new status as leader of the French biathlon.
Propelled to the front of the stage after the retirement of Martin Fourcade, Fillon-Maillet had high hopes for this winter and had clearly displayed his ambition to play the leading roles in the general classification of the World Cup.
But with only one victory (the pursuit of Hochfilzen, December 12) and four podiums in total, the count is not there - he is 5th in the general classification at more than 200 behind the leader Johannes Boe - and the number suit 1 seemed too much for the 28-year-old Jura to carry.
Fortunately for him, the discipline offers a good catch-up session each year with the World Championships (outside the Olympic season) which gives him a great opportunity to redeem himself and win the first solo world title of his career, even if he he will have to subdue the formidable Norwegian armada.
"I had a complicated start to the season, with small deformities on the skis, and I am now far from my goal of the big crystal globe"
Quentin Fillon-Maillet
“I'm below my goals, so I really want to tackle this event well,” he explains.
The goal is to get at least one individual gold medal, that would be good.
I had a complicated start to the season, with small deformities on the skis, and I am now far from my goal of the big crystal globe and I avoid thinking about it.
But I'm on a site that suits me pretty well.
I am committed to doing well.
If there is a second race to be won this season, I hope it will be at the Worlds. "
Fillon-Maillet recognizes that "the media pressure was hard to manage" after the departure of Fourcade, but he assures that "being a leader does not scare (him).
I set myself high goals and I do not approach races differently this year, ”says the man who is nicknamed the“ Morbac ”for his ability to never give up in the race.
“Quentin had a real desire to succeed, he worked a lot. Maybe he's over his physical limit. But can we blame someone for wanting too much? "
Vincent Vittoz
According to him, his poor performance is not due to his new rank with the Blues, but rather to poorly dosed physical preparation.
“I wanted to test things,” he says.
There was no guarantee that it would work but it was the year we could do it because after that it will be an Olympic season.
I invested more and I trained more than usual.
But I didn't have the physical form I wanted at the start of the season.
It was quite disappointing.
The investment didn't pay off but it was risk taking and I wanted to test the limits of my body. ”
“Quentin had a real desire to succeed, he worked a lot, analyzes the Blues coach Vincent Vittoz.
It was the year we could take that risk.
Maybe he's over his physical limit.
But can we blame someone for wanting too much? "
This "sports junkie", as he defines himself, would therefore have pulled the rope a little too much last summer and paid a heavy price for it at the start of the season.
In support of this reasoning, there is this trend reversal observed from the end of January.
Just before disembarking in Pokljuka, Fillon-Maillet, 3rd in the World Cup in 2019 and 2020, has indeed chained two consecutive podiums (3rd in the Individual and 2nd in the mass start in Anterselva) and finally seems to gain momentum .
We must also add the two successes in a row with the blue relay, who will defend his world title in Slovenia on February 20.
Enough to boost the morale of the French, who is convinced: "There will be great things to go to the Worlds."
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