The French biathlete on her mass start victory
French biathlete Justine Breza-Buchet commented on her mass start victory at the Biathlon World Championships 2022.
“By the middle of the distance I was almost a minute behind the leader, so I relaxed and “let go” of the situation. In the second half of the race I was calm. I thought, “I feel great, my skis are going great and I am in the lead in the mass start. Everything is good.” I just focused on my work and didn’t think about the last shot. On the decisive firing range my mind was completely free and empty. I couldn’t get the rifle to lock on, so I decided to take a chance and take my chances. One miss wasn’t so bad.
I was shocked when I crossed the finish line first. Our staff and coaches were in tears; I didn’t understand anything. Very grateful to our entire team. I feel really lucky! The mass start was the first race at the Olympics when I didn’t think about results or medals. I was just happy to be able to compete in the strongest race, despite the difficult conditions and strong wind,” Breza-Buchet said.
