Biathlon star struggles with chaotic pre-season

Double Olympic champion Hanna Öberg’s preparation for the upcoming biathlon season has been anything but smooth.

Öberg explained that she missed a planned altitude training camp in Italy in the spring due to illness. “That seemed like the right decision,” she told the Swedish outlet Expressen. She added she was sick several times throughout April and only resumed proper training at the end of May or beginning of June.

After a largely normal summer, another setback hit in September, when illness forced her to cancel a second altitude camp in France. As a result, the 29‑year‑old was also unable to take part in last week’s test races in Östersund.

“It’s definitely been quite chaotic this autumn,” Öberg said, noting the frustration of not being able to stick to her plan.

There is a bright spot: the work she put in on the range with shooting coach Jean‑Marc Chabloz over the summer. “I feel I’ve built more security there. That’s something I want to continue through the winter. I’d say we’ve found important keys above all in prone shooting, and I think that will definitely lead to results.” Chabloz recently backed that assessment in an interview with SVT: “I think she is the best Hanna I’ve ever seen in a pre‑season.”

The new season is scheduled to start on 29 November in Östersund.