Norway’s biathlon star Marte Olsbu Röiseland misses the start of the new season.
The overall World Cup winner and three-time Beijing Olympic champion is not yet 100% fit again due to health problems.
“It’s a test of patience. I just have to take my time. At the moment my body isn’t ready for tough competitions and that’s why I have to stay at home,” Röiseland said in a statement from the association on Tuesday.
The new season starts next Tuesday in Kontiolahti, Finland.
The 31-year-old is already the second prominent failure in the Norwegian women’s team. Because Tiril Eckhoff is taking an indefinite break from the end of the season celebrations in Oslo in March due to the long-term effects of her corona infection.
Röiseland, like more than 13 ski hunters, was also infected with the virus there. After that, she kept complaining about various ailments before she fell ill with herpes zoster during preparation in September.
The infection seemed to be over, but then there was a setback and she had to take a complete break for several weeks.