Despite modest results last season, the 37-year-old received renewed confidence from the French National Team. Now, he is aiming for a total return to World Cup level.

After the 2023 World Cup season, the 37-year-old’s best finish in the World Cup was 20th place. He didn’t get the results he hoped for at the World Championships in Planica: 17th place in the 15-kilometer and 32nd place in the 50km race were far from his ambitions.  

But Maurice Manificat received renewed confidence from the French National Team leaders this spring. 

The man who has won four Olympic and three World Championship medals during his four Olympics and eight World Championships was “relegated” to the B Team. 

Read More: French National Team for Season 2023/2024

“Moving to another training group will force him to change his habits and routines. But of course, someone with his experience and background will also have some autonomy,” Alexandre Rousselet told NordicMag when the National Team groups were presented last spring. 

And that may have been a genius move from the national team management. A summer of training with young offensive athletes has given the super veteran a fresh physical and mental start. Manificat is now surrounded by athletes 15-16 years younger, except for Arnaud Chautemps, who is “only” 11 years younger. 

“This is exactly what I wanted. I want to be part of a community. We’re seven guys having fun and pushing each other. The young guys appreciate that I’m here and happy to be with them. It’s a win-win,” says Manificat.  

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Mental and physical “reboot”

Manificat is now brimming with enthusiasm and motivation ahead of the start of the season. The 37-year-old is confident of a return to World Cup level. So does the National Team management. 

As of this season, former World Champion Vincent Vittoz is the sporting director of the development team. Vittoz was a former national team colleague of Manificat before he retired in 2011.

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Had to take action and reprioritize

Manificat says that the summer with the national development team has been inspiring. He skipped Blink and Toppidrettsveka, competitions he typically prioritizes. This year, the Frenchman wanted to do things differently. 

“I didn’t want to go back to Norway and do a lot of competitions in the summer. I wanted a different training routine, with less traveling and where I could go home on weekends. It felt more like a working day,” says the veteran, and adds: 

“It was inspiring to watch those races on TV, and it made me wish I was there, but at the same time, I didn’t regret staying home either, especially as we had a beautiful summer in Prémanon (in the French Jura region), where the weather was great all the time. 

For Manificat, the main focus is on his winter comeback. That’s why he has prioritized using the National Team’s resources this summer. This was one of the reasons why he didn’t go abroad for training or competitions. 

“It was useful to have access to all the resources at the CNSN in Prémanon (Centre National de Ski Nordique) with the expertise they have, such as being able to work directly with our physical coaches in the weight room and use the roller ski treadmill for technique training, hard sessions, and testing,” Manificat explains. 

“In France, these resources are centralized in Prémanon, and while our facilities may not be on par with the Norwegians, we have access to good equipment that works, and I have to take advantage of that.” 

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Injury-free for the first time in years

As a result of the changes, Manificat has had his first injury-free pre-season in years. He has followed the training plan, absorbed the training, and progressed without setbacks.  

The effort is paying off: Manificat delivered solid results in the French roller skiing competition ‘Vincent Vittoz’ at the end of August. 

He is optimistic about going into the final phase of his pre-season training before the season starts at the end of November. 

Wants to return to the World Cup

“The plan is to qualify back into the World Cup squad for the Tour de Ski via French and OPA Cup competitions. That would be fantastic and a victory. But the goal is not just to be selected for the World Cup and Tour de Ski. I want to perform at my best, deliver consistently good results, and have fun,” says Manificat. 

The veteran also emphasizes that he is in a comeback process and, therefore, tries not to set specific performance goals. 

“The main goal is to get back to the World Cup, but when that happens and in what way, I don’t know yet, although I’m aiming for the Tour de Ski. Either way, I will have to perform from the start because you must be good to be selected,” says Maurice Manificat, and concludes: 

“It’s too early to say what level I need to reach to call this winter a success, but it will be at least to qualify back in the World Cup.” 

These are Maurice Manificat’s teammates: 

Julien Arnaud, Rémi Bourdin, Arnaud Chautemps, Mathis Desloges, Victor Lovera and Gaspard Rousset.