Biathlon: The Weakest Among Top Nations: 'We Have Done Too Poorly'

Biathlon: The Weakest Among Top Nations: 'We Have Done Too Poorly'

A weak Swedish shooting performance has prompted the national team to change their training approach. Now they are focusing on group dry training sessions, as several athletes previously fell behind in this crucial aspect.

• "We have lost some shooting percentage, and that’s something we are trying to improve this year," said Johannes Lukas to SVT Sport.

Last season was a major setback concerning podium finishes in the World Cup and World Championships. A significant reason was the poor shooting of the Swedish team.

• "Our best biathletes, who should be on the podium, have done too poorly," said shooting coach Jean-Marc Chabloz to SVT Sport.

The Weakest Among Top Nations

Among the top five biathlon countries, Sweden ranked last in men's shooting percentage and second last in women's shooting percentage last season.

• "We are not satisfied with that; we want to be the best among the best nations," said shooting coach Johan Hagström.

• "The skiing is at a very high level, but we have decreased a bit in shooting percentage, and that’s something we are trying to improve this year," said head coach Johannes Lukas.

Prioritizing Shooting

Shooting has become more prioritized than before, which means more time spent behind the rifle and greater accuracy chosen during the day for important shooting sessions. However, the biggest change is the new group dry training that has been introduced.

• "Dry training is the best way to train stability; it's the slow-twitch muscle fibers that need to be trained often and significantly to improve," said Jean-Marc Chabloz.

• "One session involves standing for 20 minutes in a standing position, just holding the weapon, and it is incredibly exhausting," said Martin Ponsiluoma.

All athletes have previously done dry training alone at home, but the national team management has seen that far too many do not focus adequately on it, which many admit.

• "I have been really poor at that," said Martin Ponsiluoma.

• "It hasn't been a favorite training session for me either because you don't feel that it gives much," said Elvira Öberg.

Shooting Percentage 2023/24

Men
1. Norway 85.6%
2. Germany 83.5%
3. France 81.8%
4. Italy 80.9%
5. Sweden 79.4%

Women
1. Germany 86.8%
2. Italy 85.8%
3. France 85.1%
4. Sweden 83.8%
5. Norway 82.7%

Note: This includes all shots from all athletes who participated in any World Cup event or World Championship, either individually or in relay.