PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Tilda Johansson really impressed in this weekend’s biathlon premiere.
SM gold on Saturday and a fourth place on Sunday, but despite that she is pushed in the World Cup.
– We have a clear plan for her, says union captain Johannes Lukas to TT.
Last season was extremely difficult for the young biathlete Tilda Johansson. The Swede was forced to give up several competitions and fought with both the will and the joy for the sport for several months.
Tilda’s big success
Just a few days before the Swedish premiere this weekend, she decided to come to the start in Idre. And the weekend would then be a great success and real revenge for the 23-year-old.
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She showed her great talent when the competition was world-class and exceeded all expectations when she won SM gold in Saturday’s short distance. Then there was a fine fourth place in Sunday’s sprint race and Johansson completed both races of the weekend without a single barrier on the shooting range.
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Petas in the national team
But despite the great success weekend, the Swede will still be poked in the blue-yellow World Cup team that will be selected for the premiere in Finnish Kontiolax on November 29. This is now confirmed by the Swedish national team captain John Luke.
– It’s a girl who had some problems last year. She does not have the same experience as others. We will build her up for the future so that it will be good in a few years, the national team’s head coach admits to TT.
– We have a clear plan for her for how we want to build her up for the future so that everything doesn’t come too fast. We will continue with our plan that we laid out before.
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The Swedish national team does not want to rush forward with young Tilda Johansson, but take it at her own pace, so that it will be as good as possible when she makes her debut in the World Cup.
– It’s a weekend as you see. You judge by that, but we see a whole picture. It may be that she is relevant for the World Cup, but it does not have to be the first World Cup that is most important. You have to see the whole picture. She has not competed in a single international race in the past year. It is a big step to get to the World Cup, says national team captain Lukas in the interview.
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Even Tilda agrees with the poke and admits that it was partly her own decision too, not to compete in the World Cup yet. Instead, the 23-year-old will compete in the IBU Cup, the step below the World Cup, initially.
– I made the decision with Johannes even before these competitions that I will not start in the World Cup because I am not mentally ready. I have to take it step by step. Then the IBU Cup suits me much better so I don’t feel stress and pressure, she tells the news agency.
– Hopefully I can continue to get good results and within a few months I might feel ready for the World Cup.
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