Stina Nilsson comes from a heavy year as a biathlete.
But a new, drastic change will bring her back to the top.
– She has had challenges with that, says Johannes Lukas.
It was under, to say the least, attention-grabbing forms that Stina Nilsson chose to leave cross-country skiing for a venture into biathlon. It would turn out to be a bigger and more difficult step than many had thought, but Nilsson’s development curve pointed straight up initially.
“A challenge”
Many had high hopes for the star before last season, but it ended in real disappointment. Nilsson found it difficult to get good competitions, and during the winter she was mostly pushed out of the World Cup. Apart from an EC bronze in the relay, where the best skaters were not allowed to participate, there was little success for Nilsson during the season.
She has not been able to answer why things went the way they did for Nilsson. But now the national team has made an analysis together with Nilsson, and arrived at a point where you see a clear potential for improvement.
– I have seen that she has had challenges with the later start times. It is important to be in the best balance, energy and mentally when it matters. It makes a big difference if you start at 5 pm in the evening instead of 10 in the morning. You can’t be half-nervous and charge all day, says head coach Johannes Lukas to TT.
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The big change
When Stina Nilsson was a cross-country skier, the competitions were usually decided in the forenoon or morning. As a biathlete, it is unusual for competitions to start before 3 p.m. This has prompted the national team to act and change Nilsson’s training schedule.
– For example, she runs several interval sessions at 5 pm in the evening instead of at 10 am as she is used to. We are working on that time aspect this year, says Johannes Lukas.
Stina Nilsson says that she is responsive to the changes, and that she is now looking forward to the new changes. Stina Nilsson has by no means given up on her new career.
– I love this lifestyle. I want to last a while longer, so I’m not stressed. The goal is to follow this plan and see what it takes me, says Stina Nilsson.
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