Bitter news for the currently suffering Norwegian ski hunters: After the pursuit, the team will have to do without top performer Karoline Knotten in the upcoming individual event at the Biathlon World Cup on Tuesday.
As the Norwegian association announced on Monday, using Knotten in strenuous singles is out of the question. Instead, Marit Ishol Skogan will join the team, who will take part in a World Championship race for the first time in her career.
“Karoline was recently ill and has not yet recovered. She has not eaten anything for a day and is on the road to recovery. The 15 kilometers are still too early for her,” team manager Per Arne Botnan is quoted as saying in the press release .
The 29-year-old will now prepare for the relay on Saturday, added Botnan.
Skogan crowns its own biathlon fairytale
The fact that 25-year-old Skogan has now joined the team for Knotten is the culmination of a little biathlon fairytale. Skogan had only made her debut in the World Cup this season and immediately caused a sensation.
In her first race ever on the big stage, she ran into the top 10 in Östersund. With third and sixth places in the pursuit and the sprint in Lenzerheide, she finally established herself in the team. She is currently in 19th place in the overall World Cup, making her the fourth best Norwegian.
Biathlete has a part-time job in the sports business
The newcomer also made headlines off the trail around Christmas when she revealed that, in addition to her job in biathlon, she also works in a sports shop in Lillehammer.
This was necessary until now because she simply didn’t earn enough money from biathlon to support herself. But that changed suddenly this winter. Her first appearance in a World Championship race is the next step on the way to becoming a full-time athlete.