Norwegian biathlete Ida Lien, world relay champion in 2021, has suffered a setback in her preparation and will miss the first races of the season after injuring her back.
Lien will not take part in this weekend’s national competitions in Geilo and will also skip the World Cup opener in Östersund — a significant blow after a strong finish last winter, where she placed fourth in both the sprint and pursuit in Oslo-Holmenkollen.
Her shooting coach, Patrick Oberegger, confirmed to TV2 that the timing made participation impossible: “She really wanted to race, but the timing just isn’t right. Health remains the number one priority.”
