Elvira Öberg’s anger in the middle of the World Cup – forced to act according to the expert’s words about her: “It took a toll”

It was a fiasco for Sweden during the Biathlon World Cup.
For Elvira Öberg, the criticism in the media and social media became difficult.
– It was very hard, she says in the Vinterpasset podcast.

Hopes were high for Sweden ahead of this year’s Biathlon World Cup, and rightfully so. Last year was a sensationally successful championship, when Sweden broke a record with a total of eleven medals. During the winter, Elvira Öberg had also had to stay away from illnesses and injuries, which further increased expectations.

Honest words about the WC

But it was a real flop, for Sweden overall but above all for Elvira Öberg. The Swedish national team went home with only three medals – all in relays – and thus there were zero individual medals. Above all, Sweden had big problems in the shooting range, but overall nobody seemed to have hit the mark when it was needed most.

For Elvira Öberg, however, the feeling was good during the WC, at least initially.

– It started well with a medal in the mixed relay, then I got a little tired of it, you could say. The sprint and the chase still went perfectly fine. After the distance, I wasn’t really unhappy with my race, but felt that it wasn’t my day, but that I did pretty well, she says in the Vinterpasset podcast.

“It took a toll”

However, Elvira Öberg was only the 30th best skater during the mass start, and the tone afterwards was harsh. Öberg was criticized by experts in the media as well as on social media.

– But then I have time to go in and read a rather negative thing about myself, as one of the experts said. It took a lot of hard work, actually. Then it was good to have older sister (Hanna Öberg) in place with a lot of experience and to have the support in that situation. It was quite hard, says Elvira Öberg.

Elvira Öberg even deleted her social media for a day, and stayed completely away from the media.

– I’m pretty good at not letting it take place. But this particular thing, I was both annoyed and “wow, why do you think that?”. I don’t think there was any reasonableness in that. I think there was a lot that made it difficult, she says.