Elvira Öberg was one of the world’s best biathletes last season.
Then coach Johannes Lukas wants to downplay the expectations of the Swede ahead of the coming competition year.
– We should not expect the next big step, he says.
Elvira Öberg really stood for her big breakthrough year last season. The 23-year-old was on the podium several times at the World Cup and collected so many points that she finally finished second overall. But the biggest highlight was of course the Olympics in Beijing.
Honest words about Öberg
The 23-year-old was undoubtedly one of Sweden’s top athletes during the championship and left China with three medals in his bag – and was of course one of the quartet who took the historic relay gold.
Considering the great success last year, there are now greater expectations for Elvira Öberg. However, it is something that the national team coach, Johannes Lukas, wants to downplay.
– For her, it is important to stabilize the level. So far it has only gone up. It will be an important year to stabilize her. We should not expect the next big step but stabilize the highest level we have, he tells SVT Sport.
“It will be important”
The Swede has also had a taste of the preparations for the winter. Last weekend, she won the SC gold in roller ski shooting, which also raises expectations for the coming season.
– It will be important that she can handle this new situation. Many will watch what she does. If it hadn’t been like that before, she could stay a little more in the background, says Lukas and continues:
– Now everyone will want to see her ride time and expect her to have the fastest ride time.
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