From Alpe d’Huez to Osrblie

OSRBLIE – A student at STAPS (science and technology of physical and sports activities) at the Joseph Fournier University of Grenoble, Vincent Mathieu is a 22 years old French biathlete and a native of Alpe d’Huez. It is in this station that he started biathlon at the age of 14, then joined the Nordic Team Grenoble Isère, a team of skiers supervised by a staff of 5 people who provides them with professional trainings throughout the week.

Vincent Mathieu

If Vincent manages to successfully juggle his sporting career and his studies, it’s due in large part to the Joseph Fournier University of Grenoble, which facilitates his life by allowing him to work at home via the Internet. His presence is only required from April to June to pass his exams.

Mainly active on the national circuit in France, Vincent aims to integrate as quickly as possible the IBU World Cup circuit. “To get to that level, I absolutely have to work on my ski speed and my success rate in shooting”, he explains.

Vincent Mathieu is not a novice to the Universiade. Indeed, he was already part of the French delegation that was present at the 2013 Winter Universiade in Trentino, Italy: “Having participated in the previous Universiade clearly helped me in my preparation for this edition. I came here to mount one or more podiums. Competition is fierce, but it does not scare me. In addition, the track is very demanding, but it suits me perfectly. Too bad though, the competitions were not held in the same place. The atmosphere is certainly good, but different from the Universiade in Trentino.”

Unfortunately, Vincent finished his first race of the Universiade, the individual 20km, in 5th place and fell 7 seconds short to pocket the bronze medal. “Compared to the national level I am used to, the general level of the Universiade is certainly a bit higher. This is a good opportunity to compare with some athletes who already competed on the IBU World Cup circuit.”

David Vandenplas, Media Assistant