Elvira Öberg has been plagued by bad luck during previous championships. Illnesses, form dips, and other obstacles have stopped her from achieving success.
But this time, nothing could stop the Swedish superstar.
Elvira Öberg took her first individual championship gold, and her first World Championship gold, when she won the mass start in Lenzerheide. The Swede shot full house when her competitors missed in the final shooting, and secured the gold.
I'm super impressed. It's not a perfect race, but despite that, she's got full focus all the time. When she's out on the track, she gives it her all, and then she shifts her focus to the shooting range, just like you're supposed to do. So I'm extremely impressed, says shooting coach Johan Hagström.
"Like hitting a wall"
There were misses to both the right and left from the start in the final competition on the women's side. And Elvira Öberg was no exception.
Two misses after half the competition meant that the Swedish star had to go full throttle on the track to catch up. But despite feeling bad already after half the competition, she hung in there all the way.
It felt pretty good in the beginning, but then it's like hitting a wall in the third lap, and then I just felt "No...". I barely made it to the finish line, it felt like then, says Öberg to SVT.
Performed when it mattered
And after shooting full house in the third shooting, Öberg was very much involved in the gold battle. Five skiers, including the reigning world champion Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and the World Cup leader Franziska Preuss, made up the top group fighting for gold during the final shooting.
There, Öberg was the strongest. Everyone else missed, while the Swedish superstar shot full house.
When I go out on the final lap, I don't understand anything. This can actually happen. But I was terrified at the end, so it was just about trying to hold it together all the way. It's completely incredible that I managed to succeed today.
Afterwards, Elvira Öberg was emotional, after her rollercoaster season.
It's completely incredible. I really didn't think it would go in Antholz (when she got sick). It's really been up and down during the championships too, with my form. That I then get to succeed, on the last day of the World Championship when everyone is so incredibly tired... It's what you dream about. To actually do it, it's huge, says a tearful World Championship gold medalist.
Born: February 26, 1999 (25 years old), grew up in Svensbyn outside Piteå.
Lives: Östersund.
Club: Piteå Biathlon Club
Main merits: OS: one gold (in relay) and two silvers. VM: Two golds (one individual and one relay), two silvers, three bronzes. Ten individual World Cup wins.
