Biathlon-Swede Stina Nilsson sets sights on new Olympic dream

OSTERSUND, Sweden : Swedish Olympic champion Stina Nilsson shocked the sport of cross-country skiing by making an abrupt switch to biathlon, but four years on from her gold medal in Pyeongchang, she has been selected to go to Beijing in her new sport.

On a freezing January morning Nilsson, who won cross-country's individual sprint in Pyeongchang and silvers in the team sprint and 4x5km relay events, was out before the sun came up, pounding around the ski trails and displaying the new shooting skills that have delivered her to a third Olympics.

"That's what biathlon is all about, to be able to push yourself out in the tracks, and in the same time come into the range and just like take full control over your body," Nilsson told Reuters as the national team trained in Ostersund, some 550 kilometres north of Stockholm.

"Be able to calm yourself down and don't hear all the noises behind you, that's what it's all about. I really think it's a fascinating sport so I really love this challenge," she added.

Despite her relative lack of experience, the 28-year-old has taken to the sport like a duck to water and become an integral part of the Swedish team, impressing coach Jean-Marc Chabloz.

"We started the process (of teaching her to shoot) last year, but this year it's been even more about condensing the time so one doesn't have to think about the shooting too early," the Swiss coach, who is himself a four-time Olympian, explained.

"When she skis, then she skis and when one approaches the shooting range one switches over (mentally) to shooting."

The pair conferred briefly after each trip to the range, with Chabloz showing Nilsson where her shots hit and making suggestions for minor adjustments before she tore off again, her strong