The hand finds its way into the strap, just as it has for more than ten years. Then the thought arrives: “Right. It’s not supposed to be there. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks,” says biathlon veteran Jesper Nelin.

Jesper Nelin, 34, from the Swedish province of Småland, has been a rock for the Swedish biathlon national team ever since his debut in 2015. He has always been reliable in the relays – he has one gold, one silver, and one bronze from three different World Championships, as well as Olympic gold from Pyeongchang 2018 and Olympic bronze from Milano-Cortina 2026.

In recent seasons, he has also posted a couple of individual top-ten finishes in the World Cup each season. He has been on the podium once, in the mass start at Holmenkollen in March 2024. He finished third.

A lot going on

But right now, he is a little unsure where he stands. He became a father in the spring, bought a house around the same time, got injured, and had knee surgery in August. And he has not had time to practice the new range rules as much as he wanted.

“I have had to lower my expectations of myself a bit, but I hope it can still go well,” says Jesper Nelin to Langd.se.

Could have missed the whole season

At the same time, he is happy to be able to race at all this winter.

“When the doctors X-rayed my knee, they saw that the meniscus was torn. There were really two options: to stitch it together or to remove the damaged part.”

When the doctors went in, they saw that the damaged part had come loose, and Jesper Nelin was able to start rehab training fairly quickly.

“I am very happy that they could do the smaller operation. That is why I have been able to come back so quickly. If they had needed to stitch the meniscus, I would have been out all winter.”

After resting throughout September, he was able to start rehab training in October. For the past few weeks, he has been training more or less as usual, although he still feels the knee a little in certain movements.

“It is not quite 100 percent, but skiing works well in training. Of course, I have also lost muscle, so I have some building up to do.”

Many small details to improve

Still, as he enters his twelfth World Cup season this winter, he does so with fairly good hopes. He has enormous experience, and that gives him a foundation to succeed even in a season when his preparations have not been ideal.

“I still think it is fun. I feel motivated, and I still have room to improve.”

A few seasons ago, his shooting improved significantly. That helped him take big steps up the results lists and become more consistent at a higher level.

“It has gone much better since then. I have really had a chance to be on the podium in every race, and on the day when everything clicks, I am on the podium. The margins are very small.”

What can you improve?

“There are many small details. I can become both faster and more consistent on the range. I also want to be able to ski a bit faster.”

“Hard to relearn on the range”

The range rules have changed for this season, and athletes are not allowed to start taking off their rifle before they are on the mat. How has it gone relearning that?

“I have not shot that much or practiced it that much this fall, since I have been injured. I still feel it is hard to get it right in training. It is very easy to get your arm into the sling. I hope there can be some leniency about it, at least here at the start of the season.”

A new guy has joined the team, Philip Lindkvist Flötten. What does he bring?

“He is a fun and easygoing guy. He brings a lot of laughter. He has also looked very strong in training, even though I have not been there much this fall.”

What can you older, experienced athletes give him?

“Maybe a bit better discipline about the things around training. Some things often go in one ear and out the other with him. He can be a bit slow after training, for example. Sometimes he comes into the dining room when the rest of us have finished eating.”

Read More: Why the top biathlon talent chose Sweden over Norway

Needs a tune-up in Idre

The season opener is in Idre this weekend. Jesper Nelin has no big expectations for himself in those races.

“First of all, I need to get my body going and get started with racing.”

Read More – Biathlon World Cup: Calendar for the 2026/2027 winter season 

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