PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Tilda Johansson had an absolutely fantastic season.
But now the 23-year-old opens up about the tough nightmare.
– It was an extreme struggle, she says to lånding.se.
Last season was the best imaginable for the young biathlete Tilda Johansson. It also started in a perfect way when the 23-year-old surprised everyone and won the season opener in Idre in front of many world stars on the starting line.
Johansson’s success
Just a couple of weeks later, Johansson struck again and took the first podium of her career at the IBU Cup, the level below the World Cup. After that, it would only get better as the season went on.
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The Swede had his big international breakthrough during the winter with three EC medals in Switzerland and new podium places were lined up at the IBU Cup. Before the last final competitions of the season, Tilda unexpectedly led the entire IBU Cup, but then the nightmare struck.
– Then I got the corona, and I got really bad. I knew I needed to go to Canada to be able to defend the victory. I was not well when I went there; or when I was there. And it really wasn’t certain that I would be able to get to the start of a single one of the races there. The thing is that I was so bad that the day before the first competition I was so bad that I gave up the official training and didn’t even manage to take a walk, says Johansson in an interview with ländig.se and reveals why she still chose to compete.
– I decided to try to compete, but I didn’t drive for the overall victory; I didn’t drive for points but just because I enjoy biathlon. It was an extreme struggle all week, and it was a huge relief when I realized I had made it. But in retrospect, I’ve thought about whether it was worth it. I missed out on going to the World Cup in Oslo because of this.
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Tilda’s nightmare
Tilda Johansson managed to bite the bullet and take home the entire IBU Cup with a margin of victory over second place of just two points. But success also had its price and the time after the end of the season has been difficult for the young Swede.
– I was really bad for another month. It was only in April that I started to recognize my body again, it was only then that I could start living a normal life again. After a course of antibiotics for ten days, I got a completely different feeling in my body. It was eight weeks without training, admits the 23-year-old.
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A big step awaits for next season for Tilda, who has been selected for the A national team in biathlon and will be able to compete against the world’s top elite at the World Cup.
— It is a security to be part of the world’s best team and the support and sparring at each session will make me develop. Then, in terms of training, it will look largely the same as it did last season, even if the volume will increase a little, says Johansson to the ski site and announces his goal for the coming winter.
— I want to be a World Cup driver the whole season. By virtue of my overall victory in the IBU Cup, I got a free place for the competitions in Östersund, but I want to stay in the World Cup for the rest of the season. It’s a tough goal, but it’s clear that I don’t want to go back to the IBU Cup. I feel ready there.
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