Elvira Öberg took part in the WC bronze in the opening mixed relay, but the sprint at the end seems to have taken a toll on the 24-year-old.
– We have good skis today, so it’s not the material. I really have to struggle for every meter. My body is tired. I think it’s because the mixed relay was a huge discharge. I think I haven’t managed to recover from it, said Öberg after the start of the hunt.
SVT Sports expert Björn Ferry is also thoughtful about how it looked in the track.
– It is clear that Elvira is not in that super bubbly top form that she had hoped for and that I thought she would be. In terms of riding, she doesn’t keep up. The shape isn’t there, it’s hard to know why. But now we are well into the WC so it won’t be so easy to turn it around, he says.
But national team coach Johannes Lukas disagrees.
– I do not agree with those who say that she had bad driving times. It was really only at the start of the hunt and she didn’t feel so good there. She had a great mixed relay and a good sprint. The start of the chase was not perfect, but she got a real discharge in the mixed relay. Now we are trying to bring in a lot of energy and recharge, he tells SVT Sport.