Johannes Lukas has been met with harsh criticism ahead of the Biathlon World Cup.
Now Sweden’s national team captain is fighting back and explaining why.
– I wouldn’t express myself that harshly, says Lukas to Expressen.
When the Swedish national biathlon team announced the WC squad in mid-January, two spots were left open on the men’s side. After the Biathlon European Championships this weekend, the new announcement came that the last WC tickets are going to Peppe Femling and Viktor Brandt.
Harsh criticism
Meaning Emil Nykvist, who was part of the World Cup team during the season and did nice relay races, is poked and allowed to stay at home. Radiosport’s expert got it Uschi Disl to react strongly and saw the troop withdrawal.
– I simply believe that they have chosen wrongly. I hadn’t brought the two. It is quite unlikely that Femling and Brandt will take an individual WC medal, Disl told the radio channel, believing that Nykvist would have been better suited in the relay.
– Actually, they need this fourth man for the relay. Both Peppe Femling and Viktor Brandt have unfortunately shown that they like to end up in penalty rounds. At least I had included Emil Nykvist as a sure card in a relay.
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The expert’s harsh criticism has reached Sweden’s national team captain John Luke which now strikes back ahead of the Biathlon World Cup, which starts next week. Lukas, who was named Leader of the Year at the Sports Gala, is now forced to explain what is behind the attention-grabbing squad selection.
Luke’s answer
The acclaimed biathlon coach now gives the full picture of the situation surrounding Emil Nykvist.
– I can understand it from the outside if you look purely in terms of results, and above all at the relays, then it is Emil who would go. We have a dialogue with him all the time, I think I see a little more how each asset feels and how safe each asset is. He has said it himself too, that he has nothing to do at a WC. I wouldn’t express myself that harshly, says Johannes Lukas to Expressen.
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According to Lukas, the prickly Nykvist has not performed sufficiently in recent weeks and thus lost confidence. At the same time as Femling and Brandt are on the rise.
– When I get the feeling that an active is doubting himself, it is difficult to come to the WC with real confidence. The other two have a rising trend and showed fine individual races and they deserve the last places in this situation, says the federation captain to the evening newspaper.
– Before Christmas I had said every day of the week that Emil (Nykvist) will drive the WC. But I have a dialogue with the active people every day, I see how they feel and how they behave and how safe they feel. Emil has many years ahead of him.
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