Biathlon: Olympic champion Justine Braisaz-Bouchet steps back from French national team training

French biathlon star Justine Braisaz-Bouchet has decided to step away, for the moment, from centralized training with the French national team. Head coach Cyril Burdet revealed to the outlet Nordic Magazine that the 29-year-old will stay with her family in October and train independently.

According to Burdet, this approach isn’t unprecedented within the French program. Former teammate Anaïs Chevalier-Bouchet, also a mother competing on the World Cup, periodically stepped back from team training as well. Braisaz-Bouchet became a mother in February 2023.

While Braisaz-Bouchet plans to complete her sessions in Bessans, the rest of the French squad is currently at a training camp in Ramsau, Austria. It is still unclear whether the Olympic champion and five-time world champion will travel from France to Munich to participate in the Loop One Festival on October 19.

The entire French women’s team is scheduled to regroup in Bessans in early November to finalize preparations and determine the last World Cup spots. The new Biathlon World Cup season is set to begin on November 29 in Östersund, Sweden.