As of: February 20, 2024, 7:03 a.m
By: Luca Hartmann
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The biathlon circus is losing one of the best runners of recent years: after the World Cup mass start in Nove Mesto, a Swedish Olympic champion announced her retirement.
Nove Mesto – Her teammates shed a lot of tears after her last race, and she herself can look back on a “long and good career”: Mona Brorsson from the Swedish biathlon team is ending her career at the end of the season.
In her last World Championship race, the 33-year-old took 21st place in the mass start - and then announced the end of her career with emotional words.
Biathlon Olympic champion Brorsson ends her career at the end of the season
“It almost feels surreal to say it out loud, but I felt like I had to say it out loud myself to understand it,” Brorsson told Swedish newspaper
Aftonbladet
after the race.
She and the sport of biathlon have “explored every little stone along the way, but now it’s time to go our separate ways.” She doesn’t feel any sadness.
“Even though you may not achieve all of your goals, I feel like I have gained so much more from this sport.
He really gave me everything,” added the 33-year-old.
“I gained additional family and my best friends and learned so much about myself.
“I found the love of my life,” enthuses Brorsson.
She “couldn’t ask for more from this sport.”
Mona Brorsson hugs her teammate Anna Magnusson after her last World Championship race.
© IMAGO / PETTER ARVIDSON
Brorsson has been thinking about ending his career for a long time
Brorsson had actually been thinking about retiring since last summer, but she wanted to prove it to herself again.
“I was determined that I wanted to try again,” she says.
With success: Brorsson takes a respectable twelfth place in the overall World Cup (as of February 19th).
However, it was clear to her early on that it would be her last season in the World Cup.
Brorsson kept the decision secret for a long time; only her trainer and her partner knew about her decision.
“I pretended and said something like 'oh – the next training camp, God how fun it will be,'” explains Brorsson with a laugh.
“Just looking at the other girls makes me break down, so I couldn't say it too soon.
But now it was time.”
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The experienced biathlete leaves a painful gap in the Swedish team; some of her teammates even shed tears after her retirement announcement.
“She was there from the beginning.
We will miss her," said teammate Hanna Öberg clearly and added: "She is really the link that holds us together." Colleague Anna Magnussen said through tears: "Mona meant an incredible amount to this team and to me personally.
We will miss her.”
Brorsson made her World Cup debut in 2013 and fought her way into the Swedish team permanently in the following years.
Although she was denied an individual victory in the World Cup, she celebrated great success in the relay.
After Olympic and World Cup silver medals in the 2018 and 2019 relay, she crowned her career with the relay victory at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing.
In addition to Brorsson, Dorothea Wierer could also end her career at the end of the season.
(LuHa)