Photo: SVT, Bildbyrån
Last Saturday she won the single mixed relay together with Sebastian Samuelsson.
Now Ella Halvarsson has also taken the first individual podium of her career at the World Cup.
– Now I live in a dream world, she says happily in SVT.
Before the biathletes’ premiere week in Finnish Kontiolax, there probably weren’t very many people who knew about the 25-year-old Ella Halvarssonnot even us in Sweden. When Hanna Öberg was missing on Saturday, the newcomer got the chance to go together with Sebastian Samuelsson in the single medley relay – and my God, how she took advantage of that chance!
Together with Samuelsson, she went and won the single mixed relay ahead of France. That in itself was a wonderfully fine performance. But it peaked on Wednesday evening when the ladies’ individual 12.5 kilometers were run. Ella went out early and had a great race, but the wait was long before all the competitors crossed the finish line.
When everyone came in, it turned out that Halvarsson had come second. In addition, came Elvira Öberg third.
– There is a lot of joy. I’m just shaking, I can’t… This is beyond everything I could believe, says a noticeably taken Ella Halvarsson when she is interviewed on SVT.
– It feels very good. The whole race. It feels like: “It could work, but it’s also a bit of a dream”. The very best are behind me in the start list. I could never have believed that it would be a second place.
READ MORE: Björn Ferry sees the Swedish biathletes after the big fiasco
Ella Halvarsson hit 19 of 20 shots and had the fourth best driving time of all.
– It feels like I’m just overwhelmed with all the emotions. The podium, first individual of the year, I don’t know what… It’s awesome! If you had told me that before I came here, I would have thought you were living in some dream world. And now I live in a dream world, says Halvarsson.
Afterwards, she was praised by many around her.
– What a breakthrough!, says Bjorn Ferry in the broadcast.
– I am not surprised. She has an extremely high level and has shown it in training, but it’s a lot of fun, says Elvira Öberg.
– It is absolutely incredible what she does, that she gets paid for all the hard work as well, says the shooting coach Johan Hagström.
READ MORE: Johannes Lukas’ cocky reaction after the Swedish biathlon success
What a wonderful performance, Ella! You are a star that will only get better and better. What a wonderful dream debut for you this weekend in Kontiolax.
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