PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Stina Nilsson has received a lot of criticism during the season.
Now the Swede is fighting back and has found an explanation of her own.
– I really need to get better, says the Swede in an interview with SportExpressen.
It has been a tough start to the season for the Swedish hope Stina Nilsson. So far, it has only been a 33rd place as the best placement for the 29-year-old, who had to fight hard in the World Cup.
Criticism of Nilsson
If you look at the shooting, it has still improved compared to before. But now the problems are instead the skiing itself, which did not at all correspond to the expectations one has of a former Olympic and World Cup gold medalist in cross-country skiing.
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When Nilsson was minutes behind the fastest skiers, the former cross-country skier went ahead Anamarija Lampic in and made a big impression by surpassing everyone ride-wise. Which has diluted the criticism against the Swedish even more.
– Stina Nilsson rides indescribably slowly, she should be up and sniffing at the best riding time, said the Norwegian legend Ole Einar Björndalen to TV2.
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Stina fights back
Stina Nilsson is now fighting back against the criticism and has found her own explanation for why the season has gone so badly so far.
– I know it’s a trade-off and I really need to get better at not being too influenced. If I start with two bars, I easily become very passive. It’s a development issue for me, but I have to hope that I put it behind me before this weekend, she says in an interview with SportExpressen.
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But now Stina hopes that the season will turn around and the body feels much better.
– I myself feel that I didn’t quite get that full hit in the groove. I may have missed that little extra for it to really feel “wow”, she says to the evening newspaper.
The competition is also fierce on the women’s side of the Swedish national biathlon team, and Nilsson is well aware that her place in the World Cup hangs in the balance. From below are both the former Olympic gold medalist Mona Brorsson and Tilda Johansson who impressed in the IBU Cup.
– We are a very tight group from the beginning and I fully understand that there will be selections after these competitions and after Christmas. But for me, the most important thing is to get a good feeling, and if they say that the IBU Cup is best for me, then I will tackle that challenge very well anyway, she says in the interview.
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