“I started to cry”: Mattéo Baud, an emotional first podium

"I started to cry": Mattéo Baud, an emotional first podium

Mattéo Baud, only second to Norwegian Riiber, climbed onto the podium of the Nordic combined at Ruka, Finland. This is France's first podium in five years.

For more than five years, France has awaited a podium in the World Cup (Braud, 3rd in Schonach in March 2017), distant from the glorious days when Olympic champions Fabrice Guy (1992) and Jason Lamy-Chappuis (2010) competed. Last season, Laurent Mühlethaler managed just two top-10 finishes (6th in Otepää; 9th in Schonach), and the French team secured a commendable 5th place at the Olympics.

A highlight awaited in Ruka, marking the Finnish opening of the winter season. The Gundersen events had already shown promise, with Mühlethaler finishing 9th in the short format on Friday and both Mühlethaler and Baud finishing 6th and 7th in the classic format on Saturday. The mass start on Sunday was the stunning confirmation of their success.

Thanks to the young Mattéo Baud (20), vice-world champion for juniors in 2021 and son of Frédéric, who participated in the 2002 Olympics, Ruka witnessed a remarkable performance. Baud limited his losses on skis (18th place, only 9.6 seconds from the lead) before impressing the leaders in the jump, achieving an impressive 145m. Only the Norwegian leader, Jarl Magnus Riiber, resisted his leap, allowing Baud to claim second place—an unexpected outcome for France.

"I knew after my jump that I put in a great performance, but there were strong competitors behind me," said Baud. "There was a lot of tension. When I finished just behind my idol (Riiber), who inspires me, and he hugged me saying, 'Sorry for the victory,' I couldn't help but cry because of the incredible emotions."

This achievement signals a new phase for the French Nordic combined team. Alexandre Villet, the new head coach, acknowledged the significance of this result and expressed hope for future podiums. "We believed we were on the right track, but we didn't want to say it too loudly. The Nordic combined in France is a question of cycles since we don't have the density like in biathlon. I believe we have a small team that is beginning to emerge. While we don't expect to podium every weekend, our goal is to keep placing three to four athletes in the points and to chase more top-10 and top-15 finishes, and hopefully a few more podiums this year."