Photo: Bildbyrån, Anders Wiklund/TT
Stina Nilsson’s days as a biathlete are numbered.
This winter, it’s long runs that apply. Former skier Anna-Karin Strömstedt, now an expert at Viaplay, believes it will suit Stina better.
– It will be a completely new type of training again. But she has everything to win, she tells Sportbibeln.
It was four seasons as a biathlete for the former cross-country skier and Olympic gold medalist Stina Nilsson31. Then she chose to put the bag on the shelf and bet on long runs and Ski Classics instead. This weekend in Bad Gastein, Austria, she makes her official debut in the new sport.
Stina Nilsson’s farewell to biathlon
After last season, Stina was quite quick to announce that she had done her part in biathlon.
– The first two years were very good and I made a lot of progress and I am super proud of that. With the fact that I got a podium place in the World Cup. I value that very highly, she told SVT Sport in April.
– Then there are two worse seasons when the shooting hasn’t worked, and when the skiing has worked, I still haven’t been able to be satisfied. You can be in great shape, shoot a great prone shot and then shoot yourself standing still. I was quite tired of that at the end, that I had done so well but still something was not right, she continued.
READ MORE: Elvira Öberg liked that Stina Nilsson changed sports
She has signed a two-year contract with the Norwegian team Team Ragde Charge, owned by the long-distance legends Jorgen and Anders Aukland.
– Even when I switched to biathlon, I saw myself as almost a three-stage rocket. It will be cross-country skiing, biathlon and then I will try long-distance running. And now it feels very right and exciting!, Stina has said.
The expert’s thoughts on Nilsson’s venture
This weekend is therefore the time for the premiere of Ski Classics. The first competition location is Bad Gastein in Austria. One who will follow Stina’s journey is the former cross-country skier Anna-Karin Strömstedtwho, like Stina Nilsson, switched to biathlon later in her career. She has previously been an expert at SVT, but now resides at Viaplay.
– Long-distance running will now be a new thing for Stina to bet on. A new focus. It will be a completely new type of training again. But she has everything to win, she says in an interview with Sportbibeln.
READ MORE: The internal struggle in the national biathlon team after Stina Nilsson left
She particularly points out a detail in Stina’s behavior that has been absolutely decisive for her success earlier in her career. It can also become extremely important now that she has switched to long-distance running. It’s about Stina’s mental strength and drive.
– I am impressed that she has this drive that constantly makes her want to be the best in what she does. I think it’s fun to watch.
Bad timing by Stina Nilsson
But is it really right that she quit biathlon right now when Mona Brorsson quit and Linn Gestblom is injured and misses the whole season? There would have been less competition for Stina as a biathlete this year.
– I thought about it when I saw who was selected for the World Cup. There are many missing from those that we have been used to out at the competitions. It is always the case that if you want to do something 100 percent, you have to be motivated for it. For Stina, for her personally, it was right, of course. But then it might have been easier for her to have an obvious place in the team. But it doesn’t help if you’re not 100 percent motivated. It is a shame that three have disappeared from the biathlon team, says Anna-Karin Strömstedt.
How do you think it will go for Stina Nilsson with long races? Would she have remained in biathlon or perhaps gone back to cross-country skiing again? Feel free to comment on Sportbibeln’s Facebook page.
Share