PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Hanna Öberg was in the shape of her life when she fell ill before the start of the season.
After canceling the competition and going home, the national team coach hopes that the biathlon star will find his form before the WC.
– It’s important to give the body the time it needs and then make a smart build-up, says Johannes Lukas.
The start of the World Cup did not go as planned Hanna Öberg desired. The line of placings 25–13–13–24–66 in the individual races speaks for itself, it has not been a biathlon star to recognize. Neither in terms of driving nor shooting.
Öberg’s problem
It’s a cold that put an end to that. Öberg fell ill before the start of the season, but recovered and went along to the first two competitions in Kontiolax and Hochfilzen.
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But after the 66th place drew John Luke in the handbrake and let the star go home to Östersund instead of competing further in Hochfilzen and in this week’s competitions in France.
– It was quite easy to say that now we have to be smart. Go home, rest a bit and feel that the body is 100 percent ready, says Lukas.
Luke’s message
Lukas believes that it is not possible to draw any parallels with the start of the season two years ago when Öberg had some less successful competitions and later admitted that her motivation broke and she had thoughts of quitting.
– No, not at all. I think we have had very good conversations. And she was in great shape before she got sick. She rode great and was perhaps better than ever, he says.
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Hanna Öberg now has almost four weeks to recharge at home before the World Cup starts again in mid-January.
– Now it’s about just giving the body the time it needs, and then making a smart build-up towards January, says Lukas.
– You mustn’t be stupid now, the first step is for the body to recover, then she can start training with calm sessions. She needs at least two weeks of basic training. She had such good basic form before she got sick and that’s what we want to get back to.
The goal for the WC
Two years ago, Öberg first had motivation problems, and then she got sick. A couple of months later, she stood as WC queen with two golds, one silver and one bronze.
Could there be a similar effect now?
– That is of course the wish, but the WC is still so far away. Many things can happen on the way there, says Lukas.
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Facts: Hanna Öberg
Born: 2 November 1995 (age 29), grew up in Svensbyn outside Piteå.
Living: Östersund.
Club: Piteå biathlon club.
Main merits: Olympics: 2 gold, 1 silver. WC: 3 gold, 4 silver, 6 bronze. Eleven individual World Cup victories, including three in the WC.
Facts: The road to the WC
This week the World Cup racers compete in Le Grand Bornand in France, after that it’s the Christmas break.
Here are the competitions until the WC:
January 9-12: Oberhof, Germany
January 15-19: Ruhpolding, Germany
January 23-26: Antholz, Italy
WC:
February 12-23: Lenzerheide, Switzerland.
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