Stina Nilsson: “I’ve been much happier since I started biathlon”

Nilsson was considered a top star in the cross-country skiing scene. The now 27-year-old celebrated, among other things, 23 World Cup victories. The absolute highlight of her career was the 2018 Olympic Games, when she was crowned Olympic sprint champion in Pyeongchang and won a total of four medals. At the end of March, Nilsson surprised her by switching to biathlon.

<a data-caption="Bei der WM in Seefeld holte Stina Nilsson unter anderem Gold mit der Staffel. Dabei ließ sie Therese Johaug im Zielsprint hinter sich. © APA/afp / JOE KLAMAR" data-fancybox="inline-66535" target="_image" href="https://s3-images.sportnews.bz/_images/scale/1280x1280/img/2020/07/bei-der-wm-in-seefeld-holte-stina-nilsson-unter-anderem-gold-mit-der-staffel-dabei-liess-sie-therese-johaug-im-zielsprint-hinter-sich.jpg"> At the World Championships in Seefeld, Stina Nilsson won gold in the relay, among other things. She left Therese Johaug behind in the finish sprint. © APA/afp / JOE KLAMAR

“Last season I was injured a lot. By January at the latest I knew that I was at a point where I just wanted to do something different. I'm so glad I dared to choose biathlon. Especially because I still have a few seasons ahead of me and still have time to learn a lot,” Nilsson told the Swedish newspaper Sportbladet .

“No one could have stopped me” After the Olympics in Pyeongchang, Nilsson thought about switching to biathlon. She actually didn't want to take this step until after the 2022 Games in Beijing: “I'm glad I did it. Since becoming a biathlete, I have been a much happier person. I thought about the decision for a long time, but no one could have stopped me. I could no longer invest my whole heart in cross-country skiing. When I do something, I do it 100 percent.”

“I learn something new every day” From the career changer's point of view, the first few weeks after her move were quite turbulent, also because media interest in her person increased significantly. But the training within the biathlon team is also completely different. “We always train together. This is extremely fun for me. When I was a cross-country skier, I trained a lot on my own. I'm so happy in training when I hit the targets and I think a lot when I don't clear them. Things keep getting better and better and I learn something new every day. I haven’t been this motivated in my sporting life for a long time.” How strong is the biathlete Nilsson? Nilsson is not worried about how things will turn out, even if the results are not right, she is sure that she will never regret this decision. “I hope that at some point I can also be at the top in biathlon.”

According to her shooting coach Jean-Marc Chabloz, this is certainly possible. He told the Swedish TV channel at the end of April SVT : “She’s the best I’ve had so far. Stina learned how to shoot very quickly.”

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Stina Nilsson: “I’ve been much happier since I started biathlon”

It was great news with regard to the new winter sports season: cross-country skiing luminary Stina Nilsson wants to shake up the biathlon scene as a career changer. Now the Swede has spoken openly about her move in an interview.

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