The 31-year-old Frenchman tells cycling website Velora that he is fulfilling a childhood dream.
It's not entirely new. Émilien Jacquelin competed in both biathlon and cycling until the age of 16–17. And he usually practices cycling as a build-up to the biathlon seasons.
But the fact that he would join a professional team is already impressive to his Swedish biathlon colleagues.
"I think it's awesome to see how well he's performing already. He's competing in really big competitions. He's barely done anything with cycling and it's an incredibly tough sport," says Martin Ponsiluoma in a digital press conference.
It's a sport I usually watch in the afternoons between workouts, so really impressive.
“Working for others”
Jacquelin races for Decathlon-CMA CGM. He's not a star there, like in biathlon.
"For many years I had the pressure on me to win, to try to get medals or podiums. But now I compete in a team and work for others and try to make sure we win as a team. It's really special and I like it," he tells Velora.
Jacquelin has been tight-lipped about whether the cycling initiative is only temporary and, if so, how long he intends to continue.
"Of course, I hope he comes back to biathlon this winter," says Sebastian Samuelsson.
Wants to return to the 2030 Olympics
However, the Frenchman's team sees the cycling initiative as looking a little further ahead than the start of the Biathlon World Cup at the end of November.
"Right now we're trying to develop him to see how far he can go. What happens next year we don't know," says sports director Luke Rowe to Velora.
Jacquelin says he wants to return to biathlon eventually because the next Winter Olympics will be held in his home country in 2030. But he doesn't know if he should combine the two sports.
Right now I like sitting on the bike, I want to continue to develop. At the same time, I'm thinking about the 2030 Olympics in France. But I still don't know when I'll get back to biathlon.
Facts: Émilien Jacquelin
Born: July 11, 1995 in Grenoble, France.
Biathlon achievements: Olympics: 1 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze (first individual medal is this year's bronze in the pursuit start). World Championships: 5 gold (2 individual), 5 bronze (2 individual). Five individual victories in the World Cup.
A selection of athletes who have switched from one sport where they belonged to the world elite, to another:
+ Ludmila Engquist, Sweden: Won Olympic gold in hurdles in 1996. Made a bet on bobsleigh before the 2002 Olympics, but was caught for doping the year before.
+ Michael Jordan, USA: The basketball icon made a bet on baseball after his father was murdered in 1993, as it was his father's favorite sport. The bet didn't work out and Jordan returned to basketball.
+ Stina Nilsson, Sweden: Won both Olympic gold and World Championship gold in skiing before switching to biathlon in 2020. The venture did not go as she hoped and in 2024 she switched back to skiing, but now as a cross-country skier.
+ Usain Bolt, Jamaica: The world record holder in the 100 and 200 meters took up football after his athletics career. He played for several clubs around the world for a couple of years but stopped in 2019.
+ Henrik Larsson, Sweden: In the 2008–2009 season, at the end of his football career, Larsson made a brief guest appearance for the floorball club FC Helsingborg in the Swedish top division.
