Start of the season gone: The next star biathlete is out

“It’s a test of patience,” Marte Olsbu Røiseland is quoted as saying in a statement from the Norwegian association. The reigning overall World Cup winner did not get fit in time after a complicated autumn and has to cancel the World Cup opening in Kontiolahti, Finland.

Røiseland struggled with physical problems throughout the summer, then shingles came along in early autumn. This often painful viral disease slowed the Norwegian down. Although she recently completed training again, the races in Kontiolahti are still too early for her.

Marte Olsbu Røiseland (left) and Tiril Eckhoff will not be there. © AFP / TOBIAS SCHWARZ

“My body doesn’t react to the intensities the way I would like. “It’s taking a lot longer than I thought,” explained the 31-year-old, who won gold medals in the sprint, pursuit and mixed relay at the Olympic Games in February. In general, it is questionable whether Røiseland will still take part in biathlon races this year. It could also be that she doesn't return until 2023.

Eckhoff's return is in the stars The Norwegian biathlon women have to do without the second prominent name. It has been clear since the beginning of November that that Tiril Eckhoff will not be there at the start of the season. It is not known exactly what is troubling her. What is clear is that she struggled with sleep problems after a corona infection at the end of last season. Eckhoff also did not take part in the national team's training camps in the fall. When she comes back is anyone's guess.

The fact is: Røiseland (2022) and Eckhoff (2021), the overall World Cup winners of the last two seasons, are no longer eligible.

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Start of the season gone: The next star biathlete is out

Tiril Eckhoff, a biathlon queen, has withdrawn from the start of the season next week. Now another superstar has to raise the white flag.

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