Martin Fourcade said good-bye to biathlon almost two years ago, but his Olympic Winter Games farewell was four years ago. The French star’s legacy is well-documented with seven consecutive World Cup Total Score titles, thirteen IBU World Championships Gold medals and five Olympic Gold medals topping the list of superlatives.

Yet, his career may not have looked as it does today, had Fourcade not started a special relationship with one Olympic event by winning the Mass Start Silver medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. Going into his first OWG, his resume showed exactly ZERO individual BMW IBU World Cup podiums. Fourcade showed signs he was on the cusp of a big performance with five consecutive top eight finishes at Ruhpolding and Antholz in the run-up to Vancouver. Still, his brother Simon, wearing the Yellow Bib going into the Games was the “star” of the family. Martin’s star was yet to arise. On February 21, 2010, Martin’s life changed forever when he came back from two first-prone penalties and 28th position, hitting 14 of his last 15 shots to capture his first Olympic Medal.

Biathlonworld (BW): It has been almost 11 years since you won that Olympic Mass Start Silver medal that really kickstarted your career, how significant was that moment?

Martin Fourcade (MF): It is strange when you say eleven years. I did not realise that was already so long. It does not seem so long to me. Vancouver did kickstart my career, but I do not think it changed my career, it made it start really faster than without it. Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed about being an Olympic Champion. It is strange that you dream about something without really knowing what it is about. When I won that Silver medal, it was the first time I realised really that it was what I wanted to do for my life. That was the first time that I really wanted to be a Gold medalist. After Vancouver, I became more professional. I was someone who was quite gifted and became an Olympic Silver medalist without being a hard worker. By the time I was a Gold medalist in Sochi, I was not the same athlete. I improved my professionalism because of Vancouver and did all I could to be in first place and not lose a medal to anyone ever again. BW: Many people simply crash after the Games but that year you won three times after that, once in Kontiolahti and then a sprint/pursuit double in Oslo, was that maybe because you were young and did not know better?

MF: It might be something like that, but many times in my career, I could like walk on the clouds; nothing was difficult. It is also why I got more medals at the IBU WCH and OWG after being an Olympic Champion. After getting what I wanted, I felt lighter, less stress. After Vancouver, I was not worried what would happen because I already had what I wanted. I was sick; sick for one week after Vancouver. In spite of that I got my first World Cup victory and first sprint/pursuit double in Oslo and my first Crystal Globe (for the World Cup Pursuit Score).

BW: We spoke late that season and thinking back, did you have any idea that your career would be so successful?

MF: No, never. Of course, you work for it, but I never thought it would be as much. Today when I look back and am watching biathlon on TV, I find it so difficult. Sometimes, I do not understand how I performed for such a long time and so consistently with the difficulty of biathlon. BW: Thinking about the OWG and World Championships, was it always easy to rise to the occasion for these major competitions or was there always some self-doubt going in?

MF: I had many doubts in my career. Of course, I worked for it and was quite confident. I always came to the Olympic Games with strong achievements in the beginning of the season. I also know all of the fragilities. In biathlon, you are never sure about anything. I was not very confident and really stressed in Sochi and more relaxed in Pyeongchang. That was not the case in World Cups and World Championships where I was always confident of myself.

BW: You had two amazing mass start battles, both photo-finishes in the Olympics after Vancouver, what stands out in your memory about the battle with Emil? What was it like to win over your friend Simon?

MF: Olympic mass starts were always special for me. My first medal was Silver, but you never know. Then I had this sprint with Emil (Hegle Svendsen) in Sochi and the same one with Simon Schempp but not with the same result in Pyeongchang. So, I have a special relationship with the mass start.

We all know it’s biathlon; when it is the finish line or victory, we always gave all we had and then of course we had much respect. I think it was the same emotions with Emil in Sochi. It is not only about joy or disappointment. Of course, when it is so tight with someone you have a special relationship with, there are mixed emotions. I think we were both proud of the visibility and excitement that we created about biathlon. We did not focus only on victory at the Olympics; I think it was about the process. BW: Now that you are retired, is it fun and satisfying to be a part of the Olympic Movement, in planning for the Paris Games and running for the IOC Athletes Commission?

MF: It came naturally for me. When the Olympics change your life as much as they changed mine, you really want to give back. I think the Olympics are at a crossroads. Our society changed and we need to adapt to those changes: about environment, economics, and human rights. I want to be involved in the Olympic Movement. I know how strong it is, but it is also how fragile it can be.

BW: Any advice for the athletes going to the Games, whether it is their first or fourth?

MF: I have only one piece of advice, about the athlete’s state of mind. We are living in difficult times. The athlete’s experience will be stranger than ever. The key is to keep a good vibe and keeping a good state of mind, trying to keep everything positive. Everything that they will experience there will be a special situation: the win, the cold and the pressure. It is an enormous opportunity to represent your country, to be able to compete in the best sporting event in the world. I think that is why I won in Pyeongchang. I won in Sochi, because I was clearly the strongest athlete. In Pyeongchang against Johannes, I converted everything, every difficulty into a positive. Staying positive, staying happy in spite of the conditions, in spite of the doubts, the cold, the wind, in spite of being afraid of kissing your girlfriend a week before the Games because of C-19. That will be the key and was my key. Photo: IBU/C. Manzoni