Interview with Lionel Laurent and Bruno Clement

How did you become a coach ? Were you active biathletes before?
Lionel: Yes. We were both athletes. Then I worked as a coach in my Comité, then in the European cup and then the Worldcup.
Bruno: With me it was exactly the same. I was as athlete in the European cup on the way; Lionel was a little more successfully… a medal winner at Olympics … (laughs)
Lionel: Exactly: Bronze in the relay [note: Lillehammer 1994] and WCh-medals [1993 Bulgaria: Bronze team competition, 1995 Antholz: Silver relay, bronze team competition)]! So that's it ! (laughs)

Were there difficulties at the beginning?
Lionel: No, the girls welcomed us well.

Is there a difference between European cup and Worldcup?
Lionel: Yes, because we worked in the EC rather with the younger ones and there we had to explain more. Here most athletes are more experienced and we don't have to explain too much, but do rather discuss together the training, races etc.

Are you pleased with the season up to now ?
Bruno: Actually yes, although we expected to be on the top right from the beginning. The season began with difficulties, but then the podium of Sandrine and the two victories in the relay followed.
Lionel: The girls were perhaps somewhat too self-confident. We thought that it would go on better. We were then nevertheless too far from the top. We thought to be good, however we've seen that the other nations had really hard worked and were in a better shape.

We saw something new at this relay in Oberhof, because the girls have not won as usual due to their good shooting performance, but due to a good skiing …
Bruno: Yes, it is correct that shooting was not good, but the conditions were with difficult, nevertheless I thought that it would be better. The skiing performance that was really interesting, because under this pressure, the girls were quite good able to run and win and this is really great.
Lionel: In addition the relay is very important for the girls really. In the relay we want to be good the whole season and I think they are able to give all and they really want to win!

As a coach, do you have athletes you prefer, because it is easier to work with this than another one ?
Lionel: Obviously, because everyone is differently and with some it's more simply than with others. But the group functions well and you know who makes its things alone and to whom you must sometimes say a word.
Bruno: Lionel for example knows Sansan already for longer time and meanwhile we know the others also very well.

Are there difficult characters?
Lionel: They are all difficult, they are women! (laughs)
Bruno: They are women, but in addition top athletes. We knew it before and it's no problem.

How do you decide who runs in relay?
Bruno: This is not only decided by the results or the Overall Worldcup. For example Delphine was not in the best position to be the fourth at Hochfilzen, but we felt that she is very strong in shooting and we wanted to give her a possibility to collect some self-confidence.

How do you deal then with those who may not run in the relay and perhaps are disappointed or sad ?
Lionel: I do not believe that there is the need to talk very much, because they know whether they will be in the relay or not. They do respect the other athletes in the team and there're no controversies concerning the relay.
Bruno: The girls can share and even if they don't run they help the relay. For example the two young girls Pauline Macabies and Marion Blondeau participated also somehow in the relay, although they were not actively involved.

Is there a difference between the work with men and women?
Bruno: Yes, there is a large difference. They do not think like the men and we had also to change ourselves and do some things differently. The girls think and make different things at the same time and sometimes it's difficult for them to completely concentrate on only one detail.

What are your goals for the rest of the season?
Bruno: The world championship in Antholz, because we want to prove also in France, what we can, by winning medals in the relay and also into the individual races. Raphael won't be able to fight for the Overall World Cup due to the birth of his child, but we want to do the best and with Sandrine it's the same. Not the Worldcup, but as much podiums as possible in the individual races. For the team the relay is a big challenge.

How are the qualification criteria for the World championships?
Bruno: once Top 15 or twice Top 20. And then we look whether there are still remaining places, because this year are a lot of races with the mixed-relay in the programme and the girls probably will not do all races. For the instant we have 5 girls, who have the qualification and then have we still Christelle Gros who can complete her qualification in Ruhpolding.

Interview made by Anne Gassner & Karolin Hemp in January 2007

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