Bitter news for Biathlon star Elvira Öberg

Elvira Öberg, the reigning mass start World Champion, has fallen ill again and will miss the upcoming World Cup stop.

Öberg recently celebrated a significant victory with her gold medal in the mass start event. This victory was particularly special given that the 26-year-old has been battling health problems alongside her string of top results.

She had previously missed the World Cup in Antholz, was unable to train for two weeks, and had to forgo the mixed relay at the start of the Championships.

Her chances for the overall World Cup have already dwindled to a minimum, and now the current third-placed competitor risks missing the podium altogether. It is particularly unfortunate that once again, illness is standing in her way of achieving her goals. According to the Swedish broadcaster SVT, Öberg will have to sit out the World Cup in Nove Mesto (Czech Republic).

Junior World Champion to Replace Öberg

Replacing Öberg will be newly crowned Junior World Champion, Sara Andersson. "Of course, it’s sad that Elvira is sick. Sara performed very well at the Junior World Championships and is developing positively," commented head coach Johannes Lukas on the unforeseen change.

In Nove Mesto, a sprint, a pursuit race, and a relay are lined up. Öberg is currently third in the overall standings with 571 points and now effectively has no chance of challenging Franziska Preuß (879 points) and Lou Jeanmonnot (787 points) for the top position.

After the weekend in Nove Mesto, only five individual competitions remain at the upcoming stops in Pokljuka and Oslo, where a maximum of 450 points can still be earned. Now, it’s more about defending her third place against Julia Simon (530 points), Jeanne Richard (526 points), and Oceane Michelon (495 points).