Decathlon sign Olympic gold medalist biathlete Émillien Jacquelin to its development ranks - "A dream I've had for quite a few years..."

"My dream since I was little has been to be a professional cyclist". French biathlete Émillien Jacquelin has become one of the very best in his sport, and at age 30 he is making the switch to pro cycling. The Olympic gold medalist has signed a contract with Decathlon CMA CGM Team's development team and has become a racer for the French tam.

“Émilien has always maintained close ties with the team, whether with the riders the coaching staff," team manager Jean-Baptiste Quiclet said in a press release. "Cycling is already a key component of his training for biathlon. In this post-Olympic year, the idea is to give him the opportunity to try his hand at cycling with the team’s support, so that he can develop his skills".

Jacquelin is a five-time World Championships winner in biathlon, two of those occasions in individual events. In the recent Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics he took his first Olympic gold medal in the 4 x 7.5 Team Relay event, whilst he himself was bronze at the individual 12.5Km pursuit. He is one of the best in the sport and, like Florian Lipowitz of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe in the past, is making the transition to cycling.

"This support will focus primarily on training, including guidance from a coach and a nutritionist, the provision of equipment, as well as a high-altitude training camp Arc 1950 with NewGen. We plan to conduct an evaluation cycle in late spring to better assess his profile: his explosive power in biathlon could very well make him an excellent sprinter on the road. We are banking on strong athletic potential and a high VO2 max, which, having already proven itself on skis, should come into its own on the bike.”

Jacquelin is not the first pro cyclist to make such a steep change in his path, however at age 30 it certainly is an unusual one. He is following along a similar route to that of former MotoGP rider Aleix Espargaró who raced for Lidl-Trek in 2025.

"It's a bit of a crazy project. It's an idea, a dream I've had for quite a few years, and biathlon fans have known about it for a long time [...] It's a chance to challenge myself, to prove to myself in another sport that I'm capable of performing, and it's also about trying to fulfill one of my childhood dreams," Jacquelin said in an interview with RMC Sport.

He isn't dropping biathlon as a whole, but instead testing his potential as a professional cyclist, albeit with the team's development project, where he will mostly be racing with under-23 riders. "It was after the Milan-Cortina Olympics that we felt it was the best time to try this challenge together". Soon enough, the deal was put on paper.

"I think it's primarily a new challenge. I don't think my story with biathlon is over. The 2030 Games, as I've said before and still believe, are a goal. It's about trying to become an Olympic champion in France in front of the French public. But I also know that in certain aspects I've reached my limits in biathlon, and this challenge excites me. It motivates me to push myself every day, and I think I need that now in my athletic career and as a person".

As a biathlete, weight is not the most relevant aspect, and so he comes into cycling as a heavyweight, much of it in muscle mass however. "I'm 1.86m tall and weigh 80kg today, 79kg at the end of the season [...] I haven't necessarily discussed it with the nutritionist or the team yet, but I think losing a good five kilos wouldn't hurt".

However he is aware that the change will be abrupt into the racing scene, which takes a lot more than being able to put out good numbers in training. "It's a huge challenge because the effort is completely different. I think in cycling, it's more about repeated efforts. Today, I'm certainly capable of being good for 50 minutes in a single burst. But repeating that several times in the same race or stage requires extreme effort".

His role is also likely to be that of a support rider, at least until he is able to prove otherwise. "In my early days as a young cyclist, I had no problem, quite the opposite, working for the team, going down to get water bottles, riding for a teammate who's better than me in the sprint. That's always been something that motivated me, that inspired me".

"I've never necessarily been focused on being a leader in cycling. Biathlon leads to that position, because we're all our own leaders. But in any case, working within a team and giving my all for other riders isn't something that bothers me. I'm not focused on "performing" for myself and not for the team. No matter what type of rider I am, no matter what task I'm given, I'd like to give 100% to it".

The Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix are races that inspire him, and that he dreams of racing one day. But if that's to ever happen, the path is still long. "We're in the realm of fantasy, we're in the realm of dreams, because there are so many steps to take before even thinking about World Tour races. So, before I can say 'I want to ride the Tour de France', I think there's a lot to accomplish first".