PHOTO: Bildbyrån
The step from cross country to biathlon has not been easy for Stina Nilsson. Last winter, she also took a step back in development.
– I think I was too stressed going into the season, she says ahead of the World Cup premiere this weekend.
The former ski star is now starting his fourth season as a biathlete. Despite the fact that last season was not what she had hoped for, and that the Swedish premiere some time ago was not very successful, she is selected for the World Cup premiere in Östersund.
Nilsson admits
Stina Nilsson admits that last season was frustrating, when she reached a best of 33rd place in the World Cup. It can be compared to the 2021-22 season when she took a podium place, came third, once.
– Of course it was frustrating because you do so many different things and one of them went wrong, but you don’t know which detail didn’t go right. There was a lot of troubleshooting and I think I entered the season too loaded, says Stina Nilsson.
– And when you don’t get an answer early in the season, maybe you put in even more and then I think it will be even more of a pancake. So now I’m not going to chase the very last in terms of load, but let time take its course.
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Something concrete, in terms of changes that Nilsson has made for the upcoming season, is that she is rescheduling some training sessions until later in the afternoon.
– I am an early riser who likes to get off work early in the morning. But in biathlon, you often compete later in the afternoon. So I’ve changed the circadian rhythm a bit.
Compare with Bö
A key to improved development believes the national team’s shooting coach Jean-Marc Chabloz lies in improved skiing.
– It is important that she finds stability in skiing. If she has confidence in skiing, shooting will also be easier, he says, taking last season’s giant in the World Cup and in the WC as an example:
– Johannes Thingnes Bø, who is superior in skiing, usually says that he knows when he enters the shooting range that he can miss a shot and still win.
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After the high-altitude camp in France in September, Nilsson fell ill. It has taken some time for her to come back and at the Swedish premiere competition in Idre earlier in November, she was no better than 36th and 25th respectively.
Never doubted
Nilsson says that she never doubted that she will be able to become an elite skier in biathlon.
– I know that even as a cross-country skier I had both good and bad days. And I have had the experience of being on the podium and know that one day I can be there again. I have to make sure those days come back.
The 30-year-old’s long-term plan is to experience another Olympics. She was in Beijing 2022, as a reserve, and she was never allowed to compete.
– I then saw that it was not my last chance to be at the Olympics, she says.
READ MORE: Big happy news: Swedish star Martin Ponsiluoma back again after the injury – in the blue and yellow premiere squad
Born: 24 June 1993 (age 30).
Family: Partner with national team biathlete Emil Nykvist.
Club: IFK Mora SK.
Main merits as a cross-country skier: One Olympic gold (sprint, 2018), two silver (sprint relay and relay, 2018), two bronze (30 km, 2018, sprint relay, 2014). Two WC gold (relay and sprint relay, 2019), five silver (sprint, 2019, relay 2017, relay, sprint and sprint relay, 2015). 26 World Cup victories, overall winner of the 2019 Sprint Cup.
Main merits as a biathlete: Third place in the sprint world cup in Kontiolax in March 2022, second place with Sweden in the relay in Ruhpolding in January 2022.
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