In 2016, the Norwegian Marit Øygard indicated that she could leave a clear mark on the biathlon circus: The now 26-year-old was part of the Norwegian mixed relay team that won gold for the host country at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer. However, Øygard was never able to gain a foothold in the World Cup. That could now change – although sport is now more of a “hobby” for her.
At the prestigious Sesong start in Geilo, Norway, Marit Øygard only had to admit defeat to her compatriot Maren Kirkeeide in the sprint. However, the gap to the super talent was just 0.3 seconds. A very impressive seventh place followed in the mass start on Sunday.
For Øygard, even being called up to the World Cup team is a realistic scenario. Biathlon is no longer the center of her life.
“Biathlon has become a little hobby for them,” Öygard told “NRK” after the races. She decided in the summer to focus on studying medicine, which kept her attention. “I go to training, come home and then have to sit down to study. That works well for me,” she says, describing her current life situation.
Therefore, she doesn’t even have a clue “where or when the World Cup will take place,” added the surprise runner-up in the sprint.
“So it’s really a luxury problem”
The former world-class biathlete and current “NRK” expert Marte Olsbu Roiseland now hopes that Øygard will give the sport a real chance: “I hope the medical examinations can wait a little longer. Now she can fully concentrate on biathlon. That would be great,” said the three-time Olympic champion.
However, it is very doubtful that this will happen. Although Øygard stated that she would be willing to take part in international races and would strive to adjust the scope of her studies if nominated, she would not take a break from her studies.
“I worked hard to study medicine and am currently living my dream. Combining biathlon and medicine is great, so it’s really a luxury problem,” summarizes the ski hunter.