Bad news for the Swedish biathlon team: Martin Ponsiluoma was injured a few weeks before the first race of the new World Cup season. The home races in Östersund at the end of November are in the balance for him.
As Ponsiluoma explained to the TV channel “SVT”, he suffered a hip injury a few days ago, which makes intensive training impossible at the moment.
“It’s a little better now, but I haven’t been on skis for a few days, so it’s hard to say [ob ich beim Saisonstart dabei bin]”, explained the 28-year-old, who was the most successful Swede in the World Cup last season, ahead of Sebastian Samuelsson.
Getting injured so close to the start of the season was “of course not ideal,” explained Ponsiluoma, who was not able to ski but was able to do alternative training.
The 2021 sprint world champion said he wasn’t too worried at the moment: “But I now have to rely on what I’ve trained so far this summer. I had a very good year of training before this.” Now he hopes that his injury will subside quickly. “I’m getting very good help from our physios and hope that I’ll be back on the snow again soon,” added the Swede.
Biathlon World Cup starts in Östersund at the end of November
An early return to biathlon training would be urgently needed for Ponsiluoma if he wants to take part in the first races of the new season. The new World Cup year starts in around four weeks. Then the first competitions of winter 2023/24 are on the program in Östersund.
In the Swedish team, the injured 28-year-old, along with Sebastian Samuelsson, is considered the only one who can challenge the overwhelming Norwegians. Last winter, Ponsiluoma finished fifth in the overall World Cup. Together with Benedikt Doll, he was the only one who was able to break through the Norwegian phalanx (five athletes in the top seven).