Erik Lesser is surprised that the French biathletes are defying the scandals on the track. However, it is highly doubtful that things are going just as well behind the scenes.
On the track, there is no sign of the scandals in the French women’s biathlon team. The star ensemble won the relay in Östersund at the start of the Olympic winter, even without the suspended Julia Simon – much to the surprise of ex-biathlete Erik Lesser.
“I can’t even imagine what’s going on there,” Lesser emphasized on Sunday at ARD and was surprised that the problems away from the races are not having a greater impact: “But somehow it doesn’t seem to restrict their performance at all. They absolutely dominate what’s happening with the women.”
Erik Lesser became a biathlon expert at ARD after his retirement
“They are at the front in every single race. Somehow it doesn’t affect them at all,” said the TV expert, who could only speculate about what was happening behind the scenes. “We cannot judge how they deal with it internally and whether they go for each other in the hotel room.”
Lesser: “That is an absolute outrage”
Lesser is particularly irritated by the scandal surrounding Jeanne Richard and Océane Michelon. “It is certainly not an easy situation, especially when, like Michelon and Richard, you are lined up one after the other in a relay like yesterday. They have to interact with each other and push each other in training.”
How this works in light of the allegations that Richard sabotaged her teammate’s rifle is difficult to understand. But, as in the credit card affair involving Julia Simon and Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, the French manage to perform despite the scandals.
“We saw how Simon and Braisaz dealt with it. The two were cool about the topic, even though the topic was wafting around the World Cup circuit,” described the surprised Lesser. “Maybe because it was only a small amount – compared to prize money at a World Cup. But that is of course still a complete outrage, an absolute outrage.”
Biathlon: Braisaz-Bouchet offers deep insights
Braisaz-Bouchet, whose credit card was stolen by Simon, recently offered deep insights into the topic with her statements: “It is not important to be friends when participating in competitions. That is not important. You can perform and respect each other without being friends, that is not a problem.”
“I don’t want to speak for others, but I do my best to respect everyone when we are in the arena – and I think I succeed,” emphasized the Frenchwoman, who made it clear that the atmosphere is not optimal. “Outside the arena, I only spend my time with positive people and my family.”
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