Sweden’s Elsa Tänglander is emerging as a major talent in both cross-country skiing and biathlon. Today, she makes her IBU Cup debut — and she’s in no hurry to choose between the two sports.

The 18-year-old is a considerable talent in both disciplines. Last season, she competed at the Junior World Championships in both sports. Today, she makes her debut in the IBU Cup, the competition level just below the biathlon World Cup.

“It feels really fun, it will be very exciting to see how I compare,” Elsa Tänglander tells Langd.se the day before her debut.

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First time at high altitude

What do you think will be the most significant difference compared to, for example, the Junior World Championships?

“There might be a bit tougher competition. These are athletes who could do well in the World Cup. So, it will be tough, but it’s going to be fun.”

Tänglander earned her spot on the IBU Cup team after finishing 20th and 26th in a strong field at the season opener at Idre Fjäll.

“I don’t have huge expectations when it comes to results. I just want to have fun and see what it’s like to race in the IBU Cup. Then I want to try to shoot well and ski pretty well. It’s also my first race at high altitude, so I’ll try not to blow up on the last lap completely.”

Not choosing yet

In her daily life, Tänglander attends the ski high school in Sollefteå, where she follows the cross-country track—mainly to keep developing her classic technique. At the same time, the 18-year-old is part of Team Autoexperten, the national development squad just below Sweden’s A team in biathlon.

But she still has no plans to pick one sport over the other.

“Now it’s the IBU Cup. Then I’ll probably try to do a bit of both when I get home again—both the Bauhaus Cup and the Swedish Cup. We’ll see how it goes,” she says, and continues:

“I mostly just think it’s fun. I think it has worked well, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

Do you ever feel pressure to make a choice?

“No, definitely not. There can be a lot of questions sometimes, but I just think it’s fun. My coaches are very supportive and understanding of my wanting to keep doing both. I don’t feel any pressure that I have to choose.”

“Mainly biathlon”

What are your goals for the season?

“One of my goals was, of course, to race in the IBU Cup, and now I get to do that. We’ll see what comes next. I hope I get to do another one. Otherwise, the Junior World Championships are my main focus.”

Are you aiming for the Junior World Championships in biathlon or cross-country?

“We’ll see what happens, but probably mainly biathlon. That’s where I feel I have the best chance to fight for medals,” she says in closing.

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