Left with bib 1… and arrived n ° 1.
Two days after the first success of his sprint career, Quentin Fillon-Maillet, 28, won the pursuit of Nove Mesto, in the Czech Republic, ahead of the Norwegian Johannes Boe and his compatriot Émilien Jacquelin, double world champion in the specialty .
Before the Jurassian, only Raphaël Poirée and Martin Fourcade had achieved such a double.
What classifies his man… "It's nice to hear that and to be compared to great champions like them," he smiles at the microphone of the Team.
It's a very difficult race, we start in front, we are not informed ... "
Despite two faults on the prone shot that made him fall in the standings early in the race, the Habs took advantage of an impeccable standing shot to dominate the other favorites and sign the ninth success of his career.
🇫🇷🥳 France that wins!
Quentin Fillon Maillet continues: after the sprint on Thursday, the Frenchman wins the pursuit on Saturday at Nové Mesto ahead of Johannes Boe and Emilien Jacquelin!
#ChaletClub pic.twitter.com/KiEByuwc5c
- Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) March 13, 2021
“I said to myself that I no longer had the right to make mistakes and that I would have to be very strong,” he continues.
To my surprise, I didn't make a mistake, a pretty quick shot, I went out in front and held on until the end.
I am really happy.
I really like this format in confrontation because I have the impression of being uninhibited and doing things more easily than individually, without visual or sound cues.
"
With a 19/20 shooting, Emilien Jacquelin, he went after himself to get a podium.
Because it was really not the day of the Grenoblois.
“Physically and mentally, it was really complicated,” he says.
The head can help the body to push into its entrenchments, but there was not one to help the other.
I saw from the second round that it was less responsive and I put everything I could.
A podium when I'm not well, I had never done one!
"
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Double holder of the big crystal globe, Johannes Boe made a good operation towards a hat-trick by inserting himself between the two Blues.
Three rounds from the end of the season, he now has a 36-point lead over his compatriot Sturla Holm Laegreid.
According to the rules of the International Biathlon Federation (IBU), however, it will be necessary to subtract the four worst results of each biathlete.
Boe is therefore virtually only seven points ahead of Laegreid.