What has she changed? biathlon-not-in-the-game-on-the-sprint/” title=”Winter Olympics 2022: the Blue biathlon not in the game on the sprint”>Marte Olsbu Röiseland laughs and says: “I don’t think we have the time to list everything.”
But one would like to know what has happened to her in the past eleven months: If you see the 31-year-old walking through Zhangjiakou these days, she always has her smile with you, it’s a completely different picture than a year ago. As the leader in the World Cup, she went to the World Championships in Slovenia and then had difficult days. After the last individual race, she lay in the snow in the finish area and cried. Just failed in the finish sprint against colleague Tiril Eckhoff, Olsbu Röiseland was fourth. The last chance for a medal: missed.
Of course, you have to correct that immediately: She had won relay gold twice with the team, but team medals are part of the Norwegian self-image. Röiseland wanted to do it alone. Instead: always one mistake too many, and the running form was not what she is used to from herself.
The fact that the Norwegian lost her way also had to do with Corona
And now, on Chinese artificial snow: The third medal in the third race, after gold in the mixed relay, there was bronze in the individual and gold in the sprint. “I’ve learned a lot,” says Olsbu Röiseland, “I’m a year older and maybe a little wiser.” Of course, that sounded very simple, but that’s her story: She was able to take a lot with her from her failure a year ago. “Sometimes you just have to have an experience like that,” she says.
Some things you have to check off in sport so as not to become overwhelmed by the negative, others are worth analyzing: Olsbu Röiseland found that she had suddenly started shooting “safe” shots on the Pokljuka plateau, she wanted to make it too perfect in the moment when it came to rewarding yourself for the work of the past months. Olsbu Röiseland was no longer the offensive, almost fearless shooter. “I was a bad version of myself,” she told Norwegian TV broadcaster NRK. And in biathlon it’s almost like the thoughts control the weapon; if you think too much, you’re not doing yourself any favors at the shooting range. Hesitating to be sure is often close to the next mistake.
Olsbu Röiseland had already perfected everything: in 2020, just before the pandemic, there was still a carefree world championship in Antholz and the Norwegian actually won a medal in every race, five times gold, two times bronze. Seven podium places, that was a novelty, only since 2019 have there been so many competitions at a World Cup. “I could actually resign now, but of course I won’t do that. It was a fantastic World Cup that I never expected,” said Olsbu Röiseland at the time. The fact that she then strayed from her path also had something to do with Corona.
The podium after the sprint: Elvira Öberg, Marte Olsbu Röiseland and Dorothea Wierer (from left).
(Photo: Frank Augstein/AP)
Anyone who works meticulously on their goals can be quite upset by such an invisible virus. The fear of getting infected and all the precautionary measures eventually took up so much space that Olsbu Röiseland lacked the energy for the essentials. “I lost myself a bit as a biathlete,” she says. Now, of course, she is not careless with everything, but she no longer drives herself crazy. And she gave more space to other things. Spending more time with family when needed, not doing every class with the national team when they need something else.
Shortly before the games in China, Olsbu Röiseland skipped the World Cup in Antholz to spend more time with her husband and train alone. They have known each other since they were 15. Sverre Olsbu Röiseland is a youth coach in Norway.
Darja Domracheva is still the most successful Olympic biathlete with four gold medals
In the ninth grade she came to her sport – and hated it for the first few months. She had applied to ski school in Sirdal to emulate her big brother, but the first year was overwhelming, she was the worst in her class. But what quickly became apparent was that she loved the competitions. Nevertheless, Olsbu Röiseland had to invest more and more to win: “I think that helped me.”
This year she enjoyed biathlon more, says Olsbu Röiseland now in Zhangjiakou. She came to the Olympics as the leader of the overall standings: “I know what I shouldn’t do before such competitions.” This also includes not putting so much pressure on yourself. Like many athletes, Olsbu Röiseland has a mental coach who she works with, but she keeps the tricks to herself.
In singles, when Denise Herrmann became Olympic champion, she had her hand very close to gold – but the last shot missed the target. “I was really disappointed because I felt that I had it under control and that I could do better,” says Olsbu Röiseland, with two penalty minutes it was still enough for bronze.
Darja Domracheva is still the most successful Olympic biathlete with four gold medals, three of which she won in Sochi in 2014. Olsbu Röiseland could trump them in these games. Elvira Öberg is her first pursuer on Sunday. The 22-year-old Swede was feared for her fast legs this season. “It will be very hard for me,” said Olsbu Röiseland and laughed again, she could do that too: In the sprint she was 28 seconds ahead of her young competitor.
