– I’m really excited. I have no idea how this is going to go, quite simply, says Ida Lien frankly. For the 26-year-old, he starts the season opener at Lake Sjusjøen with almost no biathlon-specific training. Back problems have put an end to it – This is the second year I have struggled with my back. You would think you had learned, but you haven’t, says Lien. First she had to face the Blink festival at the beginning of August. When the summer NM in September also went up in smoke, Lien had to take action. – Ideally, I should have taken it easy for 10-12 weeks. I didn’t have time for that. Then a compromise had to be found: What is working, what is not a burden? Then it was cycling, sitting on a roller and cycling hourly sessions. That’s really what I’ve been doing this autumn, explains the biathlete. Got covid Therefore, she hasn’t run, hasn’t gone roller skiing and hasn’t practiced a lot of shooting with a high heart rate. But two weeks ago she was finally supposed to test herself on skiing. – I was quite sure then that I was going to make it happen. But then I got corona in addition… Now I don’t know. I thought I could just be sick, get well, and then we’ll take it from there, says Lien. Watch the season opener in biathlon on NRK1 Saturday from 10.00. She really broke through during the WC in Pokljuka in 2021 – and was on the relay team that surprised with gold, in addition to a strong 11th place in the normal distance. But in the search for further steps towards the top of the world, the back began to argue. GOLDEN GIRLS: Ida Lien, Marte Olsbu Røiseland, Tiril Eckhoff and Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold were on the team that took WC gold in the relay in 2021. Photo: Primoz Lovric / NTB She does not know exactly what the injury is, or how it occurred. – That’s what’s wrong with the back, it’s so difficult to diagnose. It is easier to diagnose what it is not. Now we have tried to treat it as a form of overload, by calming down and training alternatively. So far, it looks like it has helped, says Lien. Although she has only skied a few days before Saturday’s sprint at Natrudstilen, she is clear that she will be at the starting line on both days. HARD DAY: Ida Lien was only number 42 in the sprint at the WC in Oberhof in February. Photo: NTB – It’s an important race, it’s a qualifier for the World Cup and the IBU Cup, so you feel you have to go. And I really want to go, even if it might be a little early. But yes, you almost have to, she admits. Before this season, the Norwegian Biathlon Union made changes to the selection criteria for the World Cup. Where elite runners on the national team have previously been almost guaranteed a place, they must now have been in the top 15 in the World Cup the previous season. On the women’s team, only Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold and Karoline Knotten apply, and there are thus four “vacant” places. – Should have been given time news’s expert Synnøve Solemdal believes that it would have been best if arrangements had been made so that Lien could have more peace of mind and get over the opening of the season. – If you get the best out of Ida, she is a podium finisher, and I wish she had the opportunity to de-stress and get her back in order. Long journeys are probably not favorable either, so this seems like a somewhat desperate solution, where she should perhaps have had time to build herself up properly instead, believes Solemdal. National team manager Per Arne Botnan emphasizes that no athlete should feel forced to go to Lake Sjusjøen. NATIONAL TEAM MANAGER: Per Arne Botnan. Photo: Frode Fjerdingstad – And no one is allowed to go if they are not ready for it, he says. Botnan believes that the new selection criteria are fair, and says that Sjusjøen will not be the last opportunity to show off, neither for Lien nor for others. – This is just the start, there will be many chances throughout the winter to qualify for both the IBU Cup and the World Cup. If anyone feels they are not ready here, they should not go. Then it is better to train well and take the chance when it presents itself later, says the national team manager. – A desperate situation Lien herself also believes that the road to the World Cup may be longer for her this season, and does not want to put any great pressure on herself. SMILING IN ADVERSITY: Back problems have put Ida Lien on the sidelines for large parts of the pre-season. Photo: Hanne Skjellum / news – I may not be able to show what I’m good at now, but I can do my best, states Lien. Solemdal highlights the great potential of Lien, especially on the cross-country trail, and believes she is one of those who can take up the legacy of the profiles of Marte Olsbu Røiseland and Tiril Eckhoff. – It is a desperate situation for her, and proof that sometimes you can work very hard, but are simply unlucky, says news’s expert. But even though most things have gone against Lien recently, she keeps her motivation up. The dream of WC medals and podium places is still alive and well. – I still believe that I can do well, she assures.
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Ida Lien is struggling with a mysterious back injury – uncertain before the start of the season – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
