Fabien CLAUDE

France

Biathlon

Date of Birth: 22 Dec 1994

Age: 27

Gender: Male

Place of birth: EPINAL

Birth Country:

France

Residence: BASSE SUR LE RUPT

Residence Country:

France

Events and Medals
Records
Schedule
Bio
General Interest
Milestones

Events and Medals

Discipline	Event	Rank
Biathlon	Men's 20km Individual	9
	Men's 10km Sprint	21
	Men's 12.5km Pursuit	16
	Men's 15km Mass Start	26
	Men's 4x7.5km Relay FRA France	2

Schedule

Location	Event	Status
Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Centre	Men's 20km Individual	Finished
Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Centre	Men's 10km Sprint	Finished
Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Centre	Men's 12.5km Pursuit	Finished
Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Centre	Men's 4x7.5km Relay	Finished
Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Centre	Men's 15km Mass Start	Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

Athlete:

Historical Results

Youth Olympic Games
Rank	Event	Year	Location
3	2 × 6 kilometres and 2 × 7.5 kilometres Relay	2012	Innsbruck, AUT
5	Cross-Country / Biathlon Relay	2012	Innsbruck, AUT
11	10 kilometres Pursuit	2012	Innsbruck, AUT
16	7.5 kilometres Sprint	2012	Innsbruck, AUT

World Championships
Rank	Event	Year	Location
12	Men's 12.5km Pursuit	2021	Pokljuka, SLO
19	Men's 20km Individual	2020	Antholz-Anterselva, ITA
25	Men's 20km Individual	2017	Hochfilzen, AUT
41	Men's 10km Sprint	2021	Pokljuka, SLO
41	Men's 20km Individual	2021	Pokljuka, SLO

World Cup
Rank	Event	Season
5	Men's Individual	2019/20
8	Men's Pursuit	2020/21
14	Men's Pursuit	2019/20
17	Men's Sprint	2020/21
19	Men's Total	2020/21
19	Men's Total	2019/20
23	Men's Mass Start	2020/21
23	Men's Sprint	2019/20
29	Men's Mass Start	2019/20
34	Men's Mass Start	2018/19
44	Men's Sprint	2018/19
44	Men's Individual	2016/17
46	Men's Pursuit	2018/19
47	Men's Total	2018/19
47	Men's Pursuit	2016/17
55	Men's Total	2016/17
78	Men's Sprint	2017/18
78	Men's Pursuit	2017/18
85	Men's Total	2017/18
92	Men's Sprint	2016/17

Nickname:

Fab

Hobbies:

Mountain biking, running, skiing, music

Occupation:

Athlete

Education:

Graduated in 2018 from Joseph Fourier University (Grenoble, FRA). Was part of the top athlete program.

Family:

Father, Gilles (passed away 2020). Mother, Christine. Brothers, Florent and Emilien.

Languages spoken:

French, English, German

Club name:

Armees Basse sur le Rupt

Coach:

National: Vincent Vittoz (FRA), Patrick Favre (FRA)

Sporting relatives:

Father Gilles Claude (motorcycle): World champion.

Mother Christine Claude (Cross-country skiing, Biathlon): Won multiple national championships. Competed at the first Biathlon World Championships in 1984 (Chamonix), finishing eighth in the individual.

Brother Florent Claude (Biathlon): Competed at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, and three successive World Championships (2019-21). Won four Youth/Junior World Championship medals representing France. Switched nationalities in 2017 to represent Belgium. World Cup regular with a career-best finish of 10th (2018 Hochfilzen pursuit).

Brother Emilien Claude (Biathlon): Sprint gold medallist at the Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games, in addition to two fourth-place relay finishes (photo-finish with Russian Federation in the single mixed relay). Triple gold medallist at the 2021 Junior World Championships in Obertilliach. Began competing at the World Cup in January 2021.

Debut:

2015 IBU Cup in Duszniki-Zdroj (Sprint - 47th, 28th)
2016 World Cup in Ruhpolding (Individual - 96th)

National team:

2016

Start:

Started biathlon in 2006 with his brothers. They were inspired by their mother, who was their first coach.

Reason:

Competed in both biathlon and cross-country skiing until age 15 when he had to choose between them. "I picked biathlon, so I could be with Florent, not to mention the fun side with the shooting.” (claude3brothers.fr, 24 Nov 2019)

Ambition:

Finish in the top-10 overall and get his first individual World Cup victory. (centpourcent-vosges.fr, 14 Jan 2021)

Training:

“We [the three brothers] coach each other by taking advantage of each other's mental or physical mistakes. If one tries something that works, he lets the other know about it.” (nordicmag.info, Nov 2015)

Memorable:

First individual World Cup podium in January 2020, a third-place finish in the Pokljuka individual. "It was a tough fight against me and my head." (faz.net, Jan 2020)

Hero:

Five-time Olympic biathlon gold medallist, Martin Fourcade (FRA). "I am proud to have been alongside the great Martin Fourcade for several seasons." (nordicmag.info, 15 Apr 2020)

Influence:

Family. "I don't hesitate to come and recharge my batteries with my family. My mom cheers me up. Where others would be afraid of hurting us, she also does not hesitate to support where it hurts to allow us to progress." (claude3brothers.fr, 17 Jun 2016)

Philosophy:

"The most beautiful place to perform and practice sport will always be nature." (odlo.com, 2021)

General Interest

FATHER
His father Gilles was a carpenter and motorcycle champions. He died on a snowmobile excursion in northern Quebec in January 2020. During the days when he was thought to have been lost, Fabien was on the World Cup podium for the first time in Pokljuka. He dedicated this success to his father.

"Forty-five minutes before the start, I was in tears during the shooting trials when the song 'You'll Never Walk Alone' sounded in the stadium. I did not know where I was going and if I was going to be able to rally the first shoot. Then the race took shape and halfway, the first signs of results appeared. The 'little phrases' that take form in your head of the type, 'What if this is the day to do the feat, for daddy?'" (nordicmag.info, 15 Apr 2020)

"I am very satisfied with my race, because I had so much in my head. I I'm happy to pay him homage in this way. This podium, it's for him. I'm sure he's proud of us." (voici.fr, 24 Jan 2020)

He decided not to start the mass start and drove to France, where the family received news of his death. In an interview during the World Championships the following month, he described his participation there as an opportunity to escape grief and go on with his life.

Milestones

Won silver in the men's relay at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Bronze medallist (mixed relay) at the Innsbruck 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games. Contested the Cross-Country Biathlon Mixed Relay, finishing fifth. Teammates with biathlete Lea Ducordeau, and cross-country skiers Nadine Faehndrich and Jason Rueesch.

Six Youth/Junior World Championship medals, in four successive appearances (2012-15), with victories in the sprint (2013) and pursuit (2014), a sprint silver (2015) and three relay medals.

Two medals at the 2015 Junior European Championships in Otepaeae (sprint gold, relay silver).

Finished the World Cup 19th overall the past two seasons, recording all his podium finishes in that span. Finished fifth in the individual in 2019/20, which included his first podium, third-place in the Pokljuka individual, behind Johannes Thingnes Boe (NOR) and Martin Fourcade (FRA).

First in the individual (fourth overall) in the 2017/18 IBU Cup. Had four individual career wins, his only podium finishes.

Social Media

Legend

:: Silver
:: Gold Medal Event

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