The powerful tribute to Linn Persson – the nice words after the Swede’s great success in the World Cup: “A fantastic strength”

Leksand extended the winning streak beat AIK

She is the WC’s biggest exclamation point.
Now Linn Persson is being praised.
– It’s tough to stand out there. She has been working on it for so long, says the national team’s mental coach.

Hanna Öberg has certainly been the most successful Swedish skater during this year’s WC with a gold and a silver. But the biggest exclamation point is still Linn Persson. Before the championship, she was considered an outsider, having never won a championship medal.

Highly praised

But all winter she has made huge strides, and she is actually ahead of Hanna Öberg in the overall World Cup. Persson has long been in the shadow of the stars, but started the WC with a bronze in the sprint – and then a silver in the distance race. And in the national team, you couldn’t be happier.

230215 Linn Persson and Hanna Öberg of Sweden celebrate after competing in the Women’s 15 km Individual Competition during the IBU Biathlon World Championships on February 15, 2023 in Oberhof. Photo: Mathias Bergeld / BILDBYRÅN / code MB / MB0550

Now Linn Persson is hugely praised by the national biathlon team’s mental advisor Göran Kenttä, who is hugely impressed by her journey.

– You sometimes think that the riders are just machines, but it’s tough to stand out there, he tells DN, and continues:

– Linn has worked for so long and has been on this for a long time, and I think that deep down she has known that this will come one day. So not giving up but working on is an amazing strength.

READ MORE: Sweden misses out on a medal in the single mixed relay – just off the podium after Samuelsson’s huge miss

The key behind the success

Even the coach Johannes Lukas is impressed, and believes that Linn Persson deserves the success.

– It feels like she has had so much “edge” over the years, but still that if she continues in this way it will be good. Then she has had some injury problems, but that may have also changed the focus, that “okay, I have to drive a little differently”, he says.

230210 Linn Persson of Sweden celebrates after the women’s 7.5 km sprint during the IBU Biathlon World Championships on February 10, 2023 in Oberhof. Photo: Mathias Bergeld / BILDBYRÅN / code MB / MB0537

Linn Persson explains that much of his success is based on how he thinks about himself. She says that she “thinks less”.

– It’s clear that it feels important and big, but at the same time I try to make it just a little bit important in my head when I come in and have to shoot, so it doesn’t become too big a deal. Like, “there are five dots to shoot down, you just have to try”. If I miss, so be it, you have to try to pick it down a bit to make it easier for yourself.

READ MORE: The Norwegian shock after the pictures of Sebastian Samuelsson – dropped his chin on live TV: “How is it possible!?”

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