The wave of retirements in the Women’s Biathlon World Cup is racing towards spring at top speed. After numerous prominent ski hunters announced the end of their careers in recent weeks, the Swede Anna Magnussen is now suggesting that the 2025/26 season could have been her last.
The Swedish biathlon team may have to compete without Anna Magnussen from next season. After the mass start in Oslo, the 30-year-old revealed that she was seriously considering ending her career in the summer.
“Maybe” this was her last race, Magnussen said in the “Expressen” interview. But she hasn’t made a final decision yet. “For now I’m looking forward to taking a break. Then I’ll see how I feel.”
Best biathlon season of his career
Magnussen’s words come as quite a surprise, after all, she has had the most successful World Cup winter of her career. She finished on the podium five times in an individual race, and in the overall World Cup standings she finished in a strong seventh place, making her the third best Swede after the Öberg sisters. She also won silver in the relay at the Olympic Games.
“Like I said, I’m going to try to energize myself. I don’t want to make a hasty decision or force it. It has to feel 100 percent right,” she gave a glimpse into her thoughts.
She still enjoys the sport of biathlon, says the Swede. “But there are also other things that I want to do. You have to invest an incredible amount of work and it costs a lot to make these efforts. If I continue, then I will really only do it at 100 percent. It is above all a question of motivation. Is there still a spark left to invest this work?” Magnussen asked a question that only she can answer in the coming days and weeks.
