She was the weakest Swede in the 7.5-kilometre sprint. Eighteenth place is nothing to brag about in a championship, especially when you have the capacity to fight for medals.
Usually. Obviously not at 1,650 metres in South Tyrol - at least not for the moment. That's when, despite the high-altitude preparation ahead of the Games, doubts sow their seeds in Hanna Öberg and her Olympic-selected national teammates.
It was a long time after the race before they wanted to talk about another weak performance when it mattered most. But neither Hanna Öberg nor anyone else could put a finger on why it wasn't working.
Tired too early
However, there were thoughts.
Considering what I've done earlier in the winter, I would have wanted it to last more than half the race, she says.
It felt like a lot of time had flown by at the end. But I would say I did what I could. The standing series (two bars) was tough; I didn't really get into it well, and I think I might already have started to get a little tired at the end of the second lap.
The fact that the competitions are held at high altitude may be a factor.
Many, like the French sisters, live and thrive at high altitudes. If there's any explanation I can find, it's that we have a slight disadvantage there.
Would you have liked to acclimatise even further at high altitude?
No, not now, not at this time. In that case, I would have needed to be at some high-altitude camps this summer.
Camps she missed due to illness.
Chances left
Are you worried that you are not closer in the fight for the medals?
Yes, of course I would have liked to be closer; I can't say anything else. There are many chances left. There are possibilities.
National team coach Johannes Lukas wants to wait on an analysis, but says:
We had hoped we would have done better overall. It's not a good sprint.
I'll talk to all the riders in peace and quiet. But there's less than 24 hours until the next race (Sunday's chase start), so there's not much to do. The most important thing is to recharge, gather energy and do everything we can for the next race, Lukas says.
