Anna Magnusson makes a comeback in the World Cup

The World Cup debut will take place in Thursday's sprint over 7.5 km starting at 14.25, a competition which is broadcast live in SVT1. 24-year-old Magnusson has relay silver from the Olympics in Pyeongchang 2018 and the World Cup at home in Östersund 2019.

Illnesses have disturbed the Swedish biathlon during the competition break over Christmas and New Year. Instead of the planned basic training, the riders have been scratching and chewing antibiotics.

- Of course, there was no perfect preparation now for the Oberhof, says head coach Johannes Lukas ahead of the weekend's World Cup competitions.

Almost all riders in the squad have been ill at the end of December and missed important training. How the shape is ahead of this weekend's World Cup competitions in the German Oberhof is therefore impossible to answer.

- Martin (Ponsiluoma) and Mona (Brorsson) were healthy, the others were all sick, says head coach Johannes Lukas.

- The plan was to have a basic training block before the World Cup, now we have missed many basic hours. Of course, there was no perfect preparation now before Oberhof, if you have taken antibiotics a week ago, it is obviously not perfect. But I am happy that everyone is back now.

She has had some "luck" because she was ill before Christmas and was able to train quite early after Christmas. But she was also ill for quite some time so it was obviously not perfect either.

After the Oberhof, the World Cup competitions in Ruhpolding, Germany, and Pokljuka, Slovenia await before the World Cup starts in Italian Anterselva on February 13. In the past, the idea has been that it might not send World Cup riders to PokLeka, but after the illness that has ravaged the upload to the World Cup is more uncertain.

- Let's see how things are going now, we have to check what form each asset has. Maybe not everyone will ride everything, but it's hard to say now, says Lukas.

In the Oberhof, Anna Magnusson makes a comeback in the World Cup context after her wrist injury. Johanna Skottheim also gets the chance for the first time this season. In contrast, Elisabeth Högberg and Emma Nilsson are petitioned compared to the last.

- Anna has done better than expected before Christmas and therefore she gets the chance. Johanna also performed very well (both in the IBU Cup, the level during the World Cup).

In total, the archers have scraped together five pallet pitches this season. Hanna Öberg and Linn Persson have fixed the two individual and in addition there have been three pallet seats in the relay.

On the men's side, there has still not been a top ten placement individually.

- We hope that we can respond better now on the men's side, but of course it had been calculated that we would have a good training period now over Christmas. But that's what it is, says Johannes Lukas.