PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Stina Nilsson was recently kicked out of the World Cup.
But the return to the IBU Cup was not at all what she had hoped for.
Now the Swede opens up with honest words about her feelings after the weekend.
Stina Nilsson did not measure up at the World Cup after a tough start to the biathlon season. So just like last year, the 30-year-old was recently kicked from the A national team and relegated to the IBU Cup, the level below the World Cup, again.
Nilsson’s fiasco
The plan is for Nilsson to find his confidence again and develop even better as a biathlete. But the return to the IBU Cup was not exactly what the Swede had hoped for.
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Because in the first race during the weekend’s competitions in Idre, it immediately fell flat. Stina missed six out of ten shots, which was the second worst of all skaters at the IBU Cup, the only one who shot worse was Kristina Titiyevskaya from Kazakhstan(!).
Stina admits
In the end, it was a 42nd in Saturday’s sprint race and a real miscalculation for Stina Nilsson. But Sunday’s pursuit start would be a fall forward for the Swede, who left cross-country skiing four years ago.
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Because even though Nilsson missed six out of twenty shots, she really impressed with her skiing. Stina was top four overall in ride time and finished with the fastest time on the final lap to climb to 16th place, she also had the second best lap time of all riders.
“So much fun to compete when the body finally starts to respond,” she writes on Instagram after this weekend’s race at the IBU Cup.
READ MORE: Frida Karlsson’s unexpected answer to the sensitive question of Russian skiers – which caused the entire skiing world to react
Stina Nilsson has a difficult time behind her but is well supported in social media and many Swedes have commented on her posts with uplifting words.
“Very positive with second ride time. People don’t understand that it takes time to change sports. I’m rooting for you,” one user wrote in the comments section.
“You are a real fighter. I’m holding you, beautiful Stina,” writes another.
“Fight the crap of what people say, with your persistence it will get better, make sure to have fun and enjoy the moment,” writes a third.
What do you think of Stina Nilsson’s season so far? Share the article and have your say!
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