Anamarija Lampic did her first competition as a biathlete – and the success was enormous.
Then Stina Nilsson is criticized in Norway.
– Now she has to find time for it, says icon Ole Einar Björndalen.
Stina Nilsson was for a long time the biggest name to have left cross-country skiing for biathlon in recent years. But earlier this year it was announced that Slovenian Anamarija Lampic is making the same switch, and on Thursday she finally got to make her World Cup debut in her new sport.
The star’s super result
And it went better than many could have imagined. Lampic shot full in the first shot, but then had three misses. It was enough for a sensational fifth place. Most remarkable was that she had a full 30 seconds faster ride time than the one who was second (Elvira Öberg), and that bodes well for the future to say the least.
And there were many who had a hard time understanding how superior Lampic actually was in the track.
– It is pure knockout. It is very impressive and we can expect a lot from her in the future, says TV2’s biathlon expert, also icon, Ole Einar Björndalen.
He is supported by Petter Northug, who also reacted.
“She made that transition quickly…”, he writes on Twitter.
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The criticism against Stina
But at the same time it leads to a lot of criticism against Stina Nilsson. Since the Swede took the step over to biathlon, she has been far down in terms of riding time. Nilsson only has the 32nd fastest lap time this season. Now Ole Einar Björndalen believes that Nilsson must rethink.
– She must be given some time to find out how to train for real, he says.
At the same time, he believes that Lampic’s fine results can make many cross-country skiers think about which sport they want to invest in.
– They have an advantage compared to biathletes, and there are probably several who can think of the idea of changing disciplines and make it a reality when you see how things are going for Lampic, he says.
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