After his huge success as a cross-country skier, Einar Hedegart decided to return to biathlon. But now another career change may be underway.

After Hedegart won two golds and a bronze in cross-country skiing at the Milan Cortina Olympics, he decided to return to biathlon and, after a lot of back and forth, was given a place on the recruit national team. The goal is to race the World Cup as early as the coming season, and the home World Championships in 2029.

The return to biathlon has not gone according to plan. With under two months to go until the season opener at Geilo, Einar Hedegart is dejected, disappointed and at a loss.

“I have nothing to do here”

In Saturday’s Norwegian Championship sprint, Hedegart missed seven of ten targets. In Sunday’s mass start, he had eight misses, including five of five in the standing stage. He has never done that before.

“I have obviously not chosen the right path. It’s not even a question. Look at what I’m doing,” the 24-year-old from Inderøy told TV2 after the weekend’s Norwegian Championships in roller ski biathlon at Lygna.

The super talent had a brutal comeback to biathlon already at the Blink Festival this summer. There, he was not only beaten by the biathlon world elite in every competition, but was also left behind by 40-year-old Petter Northug in the cross-country mass start. Hedegart admits that the setbacks are wearing on his motivation.

“Yes. I might as well just move home to Trøndelag and find myself a job. I have nothing to do here.”

Feeling the pressure

Ahead of the Norwegian Championships at Lygna, Hedegart said he is feeling the pressure. He knows that what he delivers is noted and analyzed. And that he is going into the season without relevant merits.

Even though Hedegart won two Olympic golds and a bronze in cross-country skiing, he has been told clearly by the biathlon national team that he has no advantage in selection, neither for the World Cup nor the IBU Cup (the level below the World Cup).

The setbacks at the Norwegian Championships are also extra frustrating because he says he is actually shooting better than ever, in training.

“It’s like that every time we compete. It’s completely hopeless. And it’s incredibly frustrating not to be able to show a little of what I manage in training. When it happens again and again in competition, it’s not a coincidence. Something is obviously seriously wrong,” Hedegart tells VG.

Does not rule out a return

With under two months to go until the national season opener at Geilo from November 13 to 15, Hedegart is feeling both performance pressure and time pressure.

“Now I have to reinvent the wheel before the start of the season,” says Hedegart.

He is clear that he is going all in on biathlon, but does not rule out another switch.

“Cross-country skiing will always be there, as long as things flow well physically and I keep taking steps there. That door is open.”

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