Photo: Bildbyrån
During the weekend, all Swedes got to meet Ella Halvarsson.
The biathlete had a dream debut in the relay in the World Cup – now she is praised by SVT expert Mona Brorsson.
– I think we will see a lot more of Ella Halvarsson in the World Cup after this first weekend, she says.
She had competed in the World Cup at the individual level before, but on Saturday got Ella Halvarsson25, the chance also in the single mixed relay due to Hanna Öberg was missing. It was a huge win right away together with Sebastian Samuelsson in Finnish Kontiolax.
It was a dream start to the World Cup for both Samuelsson and Halvarsson. She gave her partner a good position when she crossed the finish line second behind the French Julia Simonbut thanks to Sebastian Samuelsson’s final stretch, Sweden was able to defeat France in the single mixed relay and the triumph was a fact.
– I am so damn happy. I kind of just walked around laughing. I haven’t understood, Ella Halvarsson told Sportbladet afterwards.
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Many are now paying tribute to relay debutante Halvarsson. Among other things, the former national team biathlete, now the SVT expert in Vinterstudion, Mona Brorsson.
– Ella Halvarsson’s start to this World Cup season has been absolutely incredible. Last season, she mostly only skied the IBU Cup, where she above all made herself known for being an incredibly stable shooter, but lacked a bit in skiing. And we see that the big step she has made here is in terms of riding, she tells SVT Sport.
Mona Brorsson believes that the shift from the Swedish second team to the first team did a lot for Ella Halvarsson’s development.
– I think that this summer with the A team has made a huge difference for her, where she has developed and received this daily sparring with the other girls in the A team. We now see what a big difference it has made to her riding. I think we will see a lot more of Ella Halvarsson in the World Cup after this first weekend, she says.
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However, there is a big question mark that needs to be straightened out in the future. Halvarsson seems to have a little difficulty with the competition nerves. Mona Brorsson is aware of that.
– The challenge for Halvarsson will be to learn to deal with the great nervousness that I know she has sometimes struggled with in previous seasons. We have seen that she can shoot very well despite being nervous. But the nervousness also contributes to the total load, which can make it difficult to keep the energy up for an entire winter. For the biathlon family, Ella Halvarsson is not a new name, but now she has really introduced herself to the entire Swedish people, says Brorsson.
Really impressive what a relay debut you stood for, Ella! Keep working hard and more success will come. We are many Swedes who look forward to getting to know each other even better.
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