PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Hanna Öberg became WC queen in biathlon last season with four medals. But earlier in the winter, she thought about quitting.
– It was the first time I really had those thoughts, she says.
Hanna Öberg won the first World Cup race last season, but then missed the podium all the way to the World Cup in Oberhof in February, mainly due to poorer shooting than before.
– As it was then, I didn’t think it was fun. Then the thoughts came “you don’t have to keep doing this, you can choose to do other things with your life”, she tells Dagens Nyheter.
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She considered quitting.
– I think it’s hard not to do it… if you’ve been around for a while, I think most people have those thoughts at some point, that there are things that could be more fun to do. But it was the first time I really had those thoughts, that it wasn’t obvious to me that this is what I want to do.
The period of illness at Christmas was the turning point, when she realized that she missed not being able to compete. For the WC, she was in top form, above all mentally. Which led to two golds, a silver and a relay bronze in the WC. Then she ended the season as she started it, with a World Cup victory in the final race.
Hanna Öberg now starts the World Cup season in Östersund this weekend as one of the winter’s big favourites.
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