The 24-year-old had a special feeling during the warm-up: If I shoot zero-zero, I'll win.
Precisely, that's how the 7.5-kilometer sprint race turned out.
Anna-Karin Heijdenberg was flawless on the shooting range and also fast on the track, which earned her gold and a large margin of victory in Val Martello.
I felt that the feeling was good and that it reminded me of the one the other day, says the Swede, who earlier in the week took bronze in the distance race, to SVT.
But you get a little nervous, the shooting still has to be spot on when you have this feeling for it to be good.
The success in Italy has not only resulted in medals – Heijdenberg is also approaching the World Championship.
The European Championship is, after all, decisive for who gets the two last spots on Sweden's team for the championship in Lenzerheide on 12-23 February.
Two spots have been left open on the team, one on the women's side and one on the men's side.
If there's any competition where you want to be in top form during the season, it's here. I'm incredibly proud, says Heijdenberg.
For Anna-Karin Heijdenberg, the European Championship success can continue already on Saturday, when the championship continues with the pursuit race.
A race where she already leads by 49.3 seconds ahead of the Frenchwoman Amandine Mengin.
I'll try to stay on top.
