PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Stina Nilsson had to endure harsh criticism as a biathlete.
Where, above all, Björn Ferry was not gracious with his harsh words.
Now her old national team coach steps out to support Stina.
It was four years ago that Stina Nilsson left cross-country skiing as one of the world’s best sprinters. She switched sports to biathlon and took on a completely new challenge.
Criticism of Nilsson
But the next four years were extremely tough for the Swede and the transition to both skiing and shooting with rifles was far too difficult. Over the years, Nilsson has had to endure harsh criticism in biathlon, especially from the SVT expert Bjorn Ferry.
READ MORE: Everyone should apologize to Stina Nilsson
He has been brutally honest and admitted that her venture was “a big failure”. This winter, Stina Nilsson has switched to long-distance running instead and is an immediate success.
Says against Ferry
That causes her old national biathlon coach to step out and fight back against Ferry’s harsh words.
– I noticed after 30 seconds that she is doing the right thing, making the right choice. I just think it’s fun that she succeeds right away and that she has already shown that this is the right thing for her, says the shooting coach Jean-Marc Chablozwho worked close to Nilsson, to Expressen.
– I don’t agree with Ferry one bit. I don’t think it was a failure. For me, Stina, as I said from the beginning, is a great talent that we haven’t really gotten the most out of. She has shown that she has high dicks. Maybe she wasn’t always that stable on the skis, but she showed that she could be there at the front of the ski, but it should have been a little more often.
READ MORE: Stina Nilsson’s perfectly clever Christmas joke to the Swedish people
The national team manager John Luke stands by what he has always said about Stina and also wishes her the best of luck in her new venture.
– We have seen very good training results. She has a very high capacity. I have lap times on my computer that I have also seen live, which are very fast from her. I am absolutely sure that she will do superbly, says Lukas in a statement.
Former national team colleague Sebastian Samuelsson is convinced that Stina Nilsson has found the right thing with long-distance running.
– In a way, I was surprised that she changed. I think she could have gone further than she did. At the same time, it says a lot about Stina as a person, I think it’s incredibly cool and inspiring that she really goes her own way, says “Sebbe” to the evening newspaper.
– She was a fantastic skier. She didn’t become as good as a biathlete, but still really reached a high level. I think her long distance venture will be very successful as well. I think there are very high chances that she will win the Vasaloppet, for example. I would guess so.
What do you think of Stina Nilsson as a skier? Share the article and have your say!
Share