On Friday, Siegfried Mazet reunites with the Norwegian stars for the first time since his shocking exit, now as coach of the rivals. Expectations are sky-high in France.

When Siegfried Mazet left the Norwegian biathlon team last spring, he immediately joined France. On Friday, the gold coach returns to Norway for the first time since his departure – now as the coach of the archrivals. In France, expectations are enormous for the man who will lead the team towards the 2030 Olympics on home soil. 

“He is someone I have always admired. I understood that he wanted to take the coaching job in Norway, and I am extremely happy that he is coming back here,” says national team director Simon Fourcade to Ski-Nordique.net.

Like him, Mazet is a former biathlete and brings a unique set of skills and experience to the French team. 

“Siegfried is a former biathlete. He has a comprehensive understanding of what is required, not just in terms of shooting. I am extremely pleased to have someone with his experience, especially what he brings from working with the Norwegian athletes,” says Fourcade. 

Read More: New French coach announces major change

One year since the exit bombshell

It was during the Blink Festival last year that Siegfried Mazet announced he would not extend his contract with the Norwegian Biathlon Federation. 

Now, the biathlon competitions at the Blink Festival in Sandnes will mark his first return to Norway since he stepped down from the Norwegian national team. 

This will also be the first time Mazet meets French Olympic and World Cup winner Eric Perrot as one of his athletes. The biathlon star, who has a Norwegian mother, chose to train independently in Norway this summer instead of following the French national team’s program. 

Also Read: Top biathlon coach set for France role

Excited about the star’s form

The 24-year-old is the biggest rival to the Norwegian biathlon stars, and it was his participation in Blink that prompted Mazet to decide to return this year. He was eager to see how Perrot has utilized the past few months. 

“Except for training alone and not having many chances to compete against others, he has done the same as the other guys on the team,” says Mazet to NordicMag. 

The coaching profile is satisfied with what he has seen in recent days. 

“He is on par with the others – neither ahead nor behind. He is on track.” 

On Friday, Siegfried Mazet will get his first answers. The biathlon competitions at Blink will feature shooting duels and a supersprint in Sandnes. 

Read More – All you need to know ahead of the Blink Festival 2026

COMPETITION SCHEDULE BLINK 2026

Wednesday, August 5: Lysebotn Opp, Lysebotn

• 11:45 CEST: 7.5km freestyle, women
• 13:30 CEST: 7.5km classic (double poling), women and men
• 15:00 CEST: 7.5km freestyle, men

Thursday, August 6: Blink Classics, Ålgård

• 18:45 CEST: Cross-country, 37.5km/50km classic mass start, women and men

Friday, August 7: Sandnes

• 15:30 CEST: Cross-country skiing prologue, women and men
• 15:55 CEST: Biathlon, shooting duel, women and men
• 17:10 CEST: Biathlon supersprint qualifiers, women and men
• 18:25 CEST: Cross-country skiing mass start 10km freestyle, women
• 18:55 CEST: Cross-country skiing mass start 15km freestyle, men
• 19:35 CEST: Biathlon supersprint finals, women and men

Saturday, August 8: Sandnes

• 15:30 CEST: Cross-country skiing sprint freestyle prologue, women and men
• 16:05 CEST: Biathlon mass start quarter-finals, women and men
• 17:44 CEST: Sprint freestyle quarter-finals and semi-finals, women and men
• 19:22 CEST: Biathlon mass start semi-finals, women and men
• 20:10 CEST: Sprint freestyle finals, women and men
• 20:25 CEST: Biathlon mass start finals, women and men

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