Nearly incredible ...

It is the night of 15th to 16th February. Close to San Sicario a future Olympic champion lies in her bed and sleeps. In a small village in Eastern Germany a future biathlon follower has no quiet minute at work.

While the future Biathlon fan lies around 2pm in the bed and recovers from the strenuous night, the future Olympic champion does her last racing preparations: "I was stressed out because of the 15 km race and this time I wanted to shoot better."

She managed it. She had no big advantage on the last lap and she "just tried to give everything." She did not thought about anything else. The daughter of the future biathlon fan gave, also not thinking about anything else and cheered loudly to the future Olympic champion in front of the TV-set. As it is impossible to stay asleep then, mother and daughter sit together in front of the TV and shout. That's true ! A person who has never been interested in sport at all has been grasped by the Olympic spirit."

Hopefully it's enough for a medal !", says the daughter after the finish. "This'll be gold! ", thinks the mother optimistically. And what did the main character Florence Baverel-Robert think ? "I knew that it could be medal, but I have not thought about gold !! "

When the victory was for sure, Flo and her new fan agreed in thoughts: "When I knew that I had won, I did not believe it. This was so incredible !!" She finally realised it in the evening on "Medal Placa" in Turin.

Florence had enough peace during her preparation for Olympics. "I did not have the pressure like Sandrine and Raph. Nobody has bet on me and therefore it was much easier." By contrast her new fan had the last nights before a lot of trouble at work and, nevertheless, the tiredness was blown away after the race."

"With hard work one creates without doping!" says the new biathlon fan as if she was already an expert for years, looking at the doping affair Pyleva. "I am just disappointed for our sport.", says Flo. No accusations, no suspicions, nothing! But of course she associates much nicer things with the Olympic sprint of the women …

About one week later, Flo's fan sits again completely excited in front the television and hopes for a medal in the relay race. It is a bronze and the "cream bonnet on the gold". Is it not ? "It is difficult to say which medal is the better one. But this from the relay weighs very strongly because I have been looking forward to it for 4 years to give something back to the trainers and the other girls. This is just an emotion which you divide with the whole group and this is brilliant !!"

And as well as the life of the Biathlon fan has changed by a new passion, something has also changed in Flo's life. "Now the attention of the media is much bigger. I have made a commercial which runs on all transmitters. They want constantly interviews with me and if I go shopping everybody wants to talk to me."
There is no question which they haven't asked her yet. "Those are already too many questions!", says her husband Julien, "And, actually, she does not like it also very much to be questioned."
In the spring Flo even had had the honour to collect money for a relief organisation in the TV show "Fort Boyard", for many years a successful format in the French television: "This was a nice experience for me and we were a great team. In addition, it was for a good purpose (an association that helps the families of soldiers who have problems) ! I had to do no difficult things, so it well ran for me. I have given everything in the games to win them !!!

Then the question remains of course, how long Florence will still be part of the Biathlon world. Already in January she and her husband said that she soon wants to finish and care about children. The retirement seems obvious after such a perfect season ? "You can't call it a perfect the season. I want to be more regular, above all, in December where I am less good. I I will do the next season and decide about going on afterwards."
At least there will be a certain person who will not complain about some other seasons … by Anne Gassner (July 2006)