Breaking with the French team's summer routine, Emilien and Fabien Claude travelled to the Summer Biathlon World Championships for the first time and joined their Belgium-representing brother Florent. Although the Otepaa medal collection turned out less abundant than expected, they enjoyed each other's company and tested their shape 100 days before the 2024/2025 BMW IBU World Cup season kicks off in Kontiolahti, Finland.

BW: As unusual as this might sound - these are the first Summer Biathlon World Championships where all three of you compete. How does it feel?

FLORENT: It is the first battle of the season - not the most important one, of course - but we can see who prevails. It is also really nice to be together.

BW: Fabien and Emilien are the only French athletes here. Have you tempted them or even initiated the Claude brothers' gathering in Otepaa?

FLORENT: I regularly participate in the Summer World Championships, and that helped them decide, I would say. Although the field is not packed with star names, it is still a big event. I think they wanted to see it for themselves. Additionally, they are here without the team and can train and compete in a new situation. We also have more room to spend time together. We enjoy each other's company.

EMILIEN: Florent talked nicely about the Summer World Championships, and we decided to come to Otepaa. It is a new experience. Also: there is no better way to train than to compete. We have done a lot of slow and long training sessions in the forests before coming here. It is a significant part of the preparation, but it is far from the intensity of the competition.

We were demolished in the Super Sprint - it was brutal for the Claude family. In the evening, I saw biathlonworld.com announcing 100 days until the start of the 2024/2025 season in Kontiolahti. It reminded us how fast the winter was approaching! And that we need to do better.

FABIEN: I wanted to feel the competition atmosphere and to break the summer training routine. It is nice to have a chance to compete for the medals at the Summer Biathlon World Championships in the stadium that will host the big event - the BMW IBU World Championships - in 2027. Despite the absence of athletes from 'big' nations, I'm surprised by the competition here. Skiing is fast, and shooting accuracy is high. Our trip was well organised, but with a small blunder - we 'forgot' to take a French team coach! Belgium and Estonian coaching teams helped us very generously.

BW: There is obviously a difference between rollerskis and skis. Who is the strongest on the rollerskis among the Claude brothers?

FLORENT: It depends on the discipline: Emilien is the most powerful in the Super Sprint, and Fabien has the greatest endurance capacity. I can match them - until it comes to the final spurt.

BW: How did you unwind after the last season? It was long, with plenty of travelling, including the season's finals in Soldier Hollow and Canmore.

FLORENT: The 2023/2024 season was the best in my career. I left Canmore very tired but content with myself. Funnily, I returned to the US and travelled the West Coast with my girlfriend for three weeks.

FABIEN: I have spent some quality time at home - and in Spain - in the spring.

BW: Emilien, you have also trained with your girlfriend (Anna Gandler).

Yes, yes, very accurate. You know, it is usually tricky to see each other if you are both athletes on different teams. When Austria has a training camp, France doesn't. And vice versa. When Anna was in Passo Lavaze with the Austrian team, I joined her and stayed for ten days. Sometimes, she comes to Premanon to train with me. She will participate in the Martin Fourcade Festival, and we will see each other again. After that, I will go to Hochfilzen.

BW: How has the training been so far?

FABIEN: It was indeed very effective. And, the most important thing, there were no injuries. Otepaa is an extraordinary week with less training volume, but perhaps the most important in the summer. It is a real biathlon.

EMILIEN: I have spent the summer on the B team with Antonin Guiggonat and many younger athletes. There were a lot of changes in the training regime, and it was a welcome challenge to apply them. The vibe in the training group is very positive.

BW: What can you take from a competition like the Summer Biathlon World Championships and apply in the winter?

FABIEN: To test a competitive mindset. In the summer, you do a lot of high-intensity, but you can't say with clarity where you stand competition-wise.

EMILIEN: It is about testing the shooting prowess. Shooting has the same dynamics on the rollerskis or skis: emotions are similarly complex. Any athlete wakes up with a certain feeling in the stomach on the day of the competition. And hears this little voice whispering on the shooting range.

FLORENT: It is a valuable test of the quality of the work one has done in the weeks since the end of last season. For me, it represents a meaningful mid-season goal. And if you underperform, you still have enough time to work on your weak spots before the winter comes.

Photo: IBU - Christian Manzoni