Swedish biathletes have been among the best in the world for many years. Recently, however, the team weakened, especially at the shooting range. This construction site will be addressed more intensively shortly before the start of the World Cup season – with some unusual measures.
In terms of running, the Swedish biathlon team is still one of the world’s best. Hanna and Elvira Öberg, Sebastian Samuelsson and Martin Ponsilouma don’t have to hide from the competition in this regard. They all appear near the top in last season’s running time tables.
However, the Swedish team’s shoe pinches even more at the shooting range. Here the team performed significantly weaker than hoped in the 2023/24 season. Norway, France, Italy and Germany were better. In order to close this gap, the Swedes are now working more on the shooting range.
Sweden’s biathlon stars shoot too poorly
“The running is at a very high level, but we have lost something in terms of hit rate,” head coach Johannes Lukas openly admitted to “SVT”. Shooting coach Jean-Marc Chabloz also said: “Our best biathletes, who should be on the podium, shot poorly.”
In order to compensate for the deficit in the upcoming winter, the Swedes are now increasingly relying on “dry training”. Ponsilouma says: “In a session we just stand with the weapon at the ready for 20 minutes. That’s incredibly hard.” Neither Ponsilouma nor Elvira Öberg is a fan of this type of training, who said: “It’s not one of my favorite exercises because you don’t immediately feel like it’s doing anything for you.”
Ex-biathlete: The goal must be a five percent better hit rate
But this special training is definitely necessary, says former biathlete and current TV expert Björn Ferry, among others, who described shooting as a “clear weakness” of the team. “If you want to keep up with the best Norwegians and French, you have to hit more shots. It is important that this issue is taken seriously,” he emphasized.
In his estimation, Swedish athletes could increase their hit rate by up to five percent through targeted training. “If one of our top four runners increases his hit rate by five percent, that would result in an extremely good season. However, I think it is unlikely that all four will achieve that,” said the ex-professional.
Source: www.sport.de
