TNT Sports
'I can't finish like that'
By
Published 25/02/2006 at 17:15 GMT
Raphael Poiree has told Eurosport he is set to continue his biathlon career despite a disappointing Olympic Games. There had been speculation the Frenchman was ready to quit the sport after failing to claim a first Olympic gold in Turin.
Eurosport
Image credit: TNT Sports
But the 31-year-old - who snatched a last-gasp relay bronze for his country - declared after Saturday's Mass Start that he would be carrying on.
"I have to think about [my future], but I cannot stop like that," said Poiree, who finished the race 12th. "I am better than that. I cannot stop like that, that's for sure."
The three-time Mass Start world champion missed once on each of his prone shoots before suffering problems with his rifle to see any chance of a win fade.
"I wanted to do the third shoot, but the bullet didn't come out. I tried it a second time, but it didn't work either," grumbled Poiree.
"We didn't know what to do, we thought that the firing pin was damaged. Afterwards, I put another bullet and it worked. But I lost a minute, and then it was over.
"Physically, I was middle-class. The others maybe weren't better than me. The skies also didn't slide that well. Well, then it was over. I wasn't anymore in the mood.
"I went to the standing shoot just for fun. And that's it. I couldn't do better. I had to compete with what I had."
Tipped to pick up a maiden Olympic win in Turin, Poiree - currently second in the World Cup standings - has been unable to find any semblance of form, with ninth place in the Sprint his best individual result.
"I have been unlucky at these Games," said Poiree. "Fortunately, we had a good relay. Without the relay, the Games would have been hard for me to understand. I did my best, and I cannot do better."
Men's Mass Start results
Advertisement
Advertisement