Ebba Andersson got off to a good start last season. A week before the national premiere in Gällivare, she slipped during a run and injured her right knee. The injury kept her away from competition for over a month - but it also affected her in the longer term.
A big focus towards the World Cup in German Oberstdorf at the end of February will therefore be where she was before the knee injury.
"The knee injury hampered a little neighbor"- I really felt that I had taken that step when it came to the qualities required in sprinting. But the knee injury did not affect the positive direction, it hampered a little neighbor the development that I feel I had actually taken to training, says Andersson when SVT Sport meets her in Sollefteå.
Last season, Andersson made four World Cup sprints, two during the Tour de Ski and two during the Swedish Norwegian Tour. She proceeded three times.
Are you looking for more sprints outside the tours?
- Yes absolutely. And if I did, then I want to feel that I hold such a high level that I have something to do. It is also a prerequisite considering how strong the women's team we are at the moment, especially when it comes to sprinting, says Andersson and continues:
- I want to be able to assert myself more on sprinting.
"You hit two flies in one blow"If you develop your sprint properties, does it benefit you in the distance as well?
- Yes, but that's a bit so I reason. And then I feel a little neighbor that you hit two flies in one blow. If you think about how the distance race is run today, it is important to have the qualities and be able to perform at a high level when it comes to changing tempo and sprinting.