French biathlete sacrifices everything to return to the top. Now the Olympic star reveals the brutal cost of her commitment.

French biathlete sacrifices everything to return to the top. Now the Olympic star reveals the brutal cost of her commitment.

After a highly disappointing season with a 27th-place finish as her best result from the Olympics in Italy, the French biathlon star has made some harsh decisions.

Last week, she parted ways with the national team. Then she changed her entire ski fleet, and now she is heading to Norway with her husband as her coach for much of her preparation. Justine Braisaz-Bouchet hopes these changes will propel her back to the top of the world this winter. But the price is steep.

The former Olympic and World Champion now opens up about the harsh reality of financing her entire endeavor out of her own pocket.

“I have nothing left. I pay for my internships, my equipment, everything,” she tells Ski-Nordique.

Also Read: Parts ways with national team and equipment supplier

From full to no support

The 29-year-old French athlete left the national team to take control of her daily life according to her own needs. However, with this break, all financial support from the Federation also vanished.

“I have nothing left. It’s either you take everything or you take nothing. It’s a choice. I’m paying for everything. It’s a choice. I’m relying on my partners, who are aware of the situation,” says Braisaz-Bouchet, continuing:

“Last year, the personal training camps cost me 30,000 euros. This year, I’ve booked everything, but I don’t have the total in mind.”

Shortly after Braisaz-Bouchet left the national team, she also ended her partnership with Fischer in favor of Rossignol. The Austrian ski manufacturer has supported her throughout her senior career. Now she must also pay for her equipment.

Had to take action

Braisaz-Bouchet explains that it was not an easy decision to part ways with the Federation after 12 years on the national team.

“After the season, I was feeling very low. I was completely drained and hadn’t achieved any of the goals I had set for myself. This despite the fact that I had never trained harder or prepared better in my life. From July 1 last year to March 25 this year, I was only home for 15 days. Yet the season turned out to be a disaster,” she says to NordicMag.

After the World Cup finals in March, Braisaz-Bouchet saw no other option but to break with the national team.

“I felt incredibly lonely. I struggled mentally, and in terms of sports, I saw no solutions. My confidence was at rock bottom, and it was difficult even outside of sports. I had to take action,” she says.

The Olympics were a low point

Braisaz-Bouchet won gold in the mass start at the 2022 Olympics and bronze in the relay at the 2018 Olympics. From last winter’s Olympics in Italy, she returned angry and disappointed with a 27th place as her best result.

She was particularly upset about being left out of the relay, despite winning the individual normal distance race during the World Cup round in Nove Mesto, the last before the Olympics.

“I felt cheated, as it seemed that some important decisions had been made long ago,” she says, continuing:

“I was exhausted when I arrived at the Olympics, with enormous expectations weighing over me. The disappointments came one after another, and I felt like a spectator to my own sporting collapse.”

No guarantee of return

Braisaz-Bouchet hopes to return to the Federation in November. But she is aware that this is not guaranteed, even though she was initially selected for the elite national team in the spring.

“I’m preparing on my own, without support from the national team, but I’m keeping my national team hat and hope to return to the team for the final gathering in November. Normally, those selected for the A-team get to compete in the first two World Cup rounds, but I need to talk more closely with the management to see what applies,” she says.

Read More: French biathlon teams for season 2026/2027

Tense environment

Justine Braisaz-Bouchet has also been open about the tense environment within the French national team.

The 29-year-old was a victim of a fraud scandal where national team colleague Julia Simon was convicted last fall for fraud and theft from Braisaz-Bouchet and several others on the team. The case shocked the entire biathlon community.

Simon was sentenced to three months in prison (suspended) and fined 15,000 euros. Additionally, the French Ski Federation (FFS) decided to suspend Simon for six months, five of which were conditional. They also imposed a fine of 15,000 euros on Simon. She returned to the national team in December, won four medals at the Olympics this winter, and finished third in the overall World Cup standings.

Also Read: Biathlon star convicted of fraud – Had hundreds of thousands in the bank

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