Hanna Öberg experienced a real nightmare during the women’s biathlon sprint in Lenzerheide. Her sister Elvira also had problems.
Hanna Öberg crossed the finish line in 29th place, more than two minutes behind winner Justine Braisaz-Bouchet. “It was bad,” said the Swede on the “SVT” broadcaster: “It wasn’t any fun to take part in competitions today. It’s incredibly frustrating.”
Things didn’t just go bad for Öberg in terms of sport. To make matters worse, the 28-year-old also fell on the cross-country ski trail. “That was the icing on the cake,” she reported and added: “Shortly before the last climb I rode into another athlete. She didn’t give me any space and so we rode together. Then I dropped the stick and that was it.”
But Öberg quickly gave the all-clear: “I wasn’t injured.”
“It’s actually worrying”
After the race it turned out that the other biathlete was the Norwegian Emilie Kalkenberg. The 26-year-old finished in 35th place.
“SVT” commentator Ola Brännholm was harsh on Öberg after the competition. “It’s actually worrying,” he said. In the individual competitions this season, Öberg did not get past sixth place. However, 29th place in Lenzerheide is the lowest point so far.
Things went better for her sister Elvira, however. The 24-year-old impressed in fifth place. “It was very difficult today,” she said after crossing the finish line and openly admitted: “I’m really surprised that I’m not further back. I see it positively.”
The victory went to the faultless Frenchwoman Justine Braisaz-Bouchet. Completing the podium were the overall World Cup leader Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold from Norway (0 penalties/+12.2 seconds) and the Italian Lisa Vittozzi (0/+17.2).