After Andersson's successful start: "It's exceeded expectations"

When SVT Sport gets hold of the exclamation mark during the young biathlon season, she is on her way out to train. In the absence of Hanna Öberg, Mona Brorsson and Linn Persson, Ingela Andersson took a strong victory in the Swedish biathlon premiere in Idre, 14 seconds ahead of Elisabeth Högberg.

Prior to that, Andersson beat World Cup winner Dorothea Wierer and finished two behind VC winner Lisa Vittozzi in Sjusjöen when the Norwegian season premiered.

According to the biathlon himself, the fine start is somewhat surprising.

- It's been good, it's actually exceeded expectations, says Andersson to SVT Sport.

Much of the early success can, according to Andersson, be explained by last year's move to Norway.

- I've been training outside the national team quite a few years now and I had lived in Östersund for eight years and trained there and I felt that I had stopped some development.

Then Andersson's current coach called and offered her a place in a private team in Norway.

- He had followed me for a couple of years and thought he saw a good capacity with me and that he really wanted to have me on the team, it felt great fun. Everyone in the team really wants to help even though I'm competing for another country, it feels really fun.

Although Andersson spends a lot of training time with the riders in Norway, she feels a good affinity when it is time to put on the blue-yellow dress.

- During the summer you may not have very much contact with everyone in the national team. But since it is winter, I compete Sweden and I feel like part of a team when we are out and then you want to make it as clear as possible for Sweden.

For Ingela Andersson, it is the World Cup in Antholz that is the main goal. And fittingly, it is precisely in Antholz that Andersson feels that she has done her best race.

- My goal is the World Cup. The World Cup track is probably the competition track that suits me best and where I made my best results. I don't know what the road to look like, but I want to go to the World Cup and perform there so clearly.