By Philip O’Connor
ZHANGJIAKOU, China (Reuters) – Swedish biathlon prodigy Elvira Oeberg is gearing up to step out of the shadow of her Olympic champion big sister Hanna as the pair race together in the mixed relay race at the Beijing Games on Saturday.
Hanna, 26, may have won one gold and one silver medal on a glittering Olympic debut in Pyeongchang four years ago, but at fifth in the current International Biathlon Union (IBU) rankings, she is two places behind her 22-year-old sister.
“It will be my first race at the Olympic Games, so I’m really excited. It’s probably going to be a really fun competition. We know we have a great team, and starting with a team event is a nice way to start it off,” Elvira told a news conference on Thursday.
The sisters will be joined by Sebastian Samuelsson, a gold medallist in the men’s Olympic relay in 2018, and Martin Ponsiluoma, who was also part of the youthful Swedish team in Pyeongchang.
Back then, Elvira was an 18-year-old prospect watching on TV at home as Hanna and the team made their mark on the Games, bringing home two gold and two silver medals between them.
“She (Elvira) has made a huge improvement over these four past years and I’m really impressed by her,” Hanna told reporters.
“It was special for her to see me four years ago, and now she’s here with me. She really wants to do well here, and we have a really good situation where we can support each other.”
The windy course will pose a challenge for all the competitors.
“The key will be my shooting. I know my skiing is usually pretty good, so I don’t have to worry as much about that,” Elvira said.
“I’ve done everything I can and it will be tough, but I’m very much looking forward to racing.”
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor, editing by Ed Osmond)
