Three years ago, the 27-year-old needed a change. In Östersund, he felt he was in the way and instead moved to Norway. Now, the Swedish biathlete is part of Holmenkollen Biathlon and is coming off his best season ever.

A little over three years ago, Oskar Ohlsson, who had been part of various national teams in Sweden for several years, decided to move to Norway. Initially, he joined a team in Lillehammer, but since last year, he has been living in Oslo and is part of the Holmenkollen Biathlon team.

Currently, he has no plans to move back home.

“I love life here, and I’ve really felt that I’ve found my place here in Oslo right now. Both with studies, training, good friends, and social life,” says Ohlsson to Langd.se.

Not Satisfied with the Support

But he didn’t begin his “Norway journey” in Oslo. First, he was part of a team based in Lillehammer, but when the sponsoring company went bankrupt, he had to find a new team. Oskar felt it was time to start studying, and therefore Oslo became the natural choice.

“I applied to the different biathlon teams here in Oslo and then joined Holmenkollen Biathlon. That was really the dream, since it’s the most prestigious team here. With an extremely high level and really good coaches. And it also has a tradition of being a very good and serious team.”

What made you take the step to Norway?

“Basically, it was about me not being satisfied with the support I received from Sweden. If you are not in the A-team or B-team, you don’t get any help. I know the Association disagrees with that view, but that’s how I see it.”

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Struggled with Logistics

It was when Oskar got a back injury that he felt the support was lacking.

“I didn’t get support for alternative training or for individualization as much as I might have needed. I came back from my back injury and was simply tired of not feeling taken seriously by the Swedish national team. So, then I started thinking about what I should do. Should I quit? Should I think differently?” Oskar explains.

Below the national teams, there are two university groups. Most, if not all, Swedish biathletes move to Östersund after high school, from the A-team to the university groups.

“I didn’t feel I had a place in Östersund, and I felt more like I was in the way than that I was an asset to them. And I couldn’t accept that. I don’t want to fight for a spot on the shooting range and train at inconvenient times.”

One of the problems, Oskar thinks, is logistics. There is only one biathlon range in Östersund compared to four in Oslo.

“It probably has a lot to do with logistics; there’s only one biathlon range in Östersund. In Oslo, there are four.”

“Can’t Go the Same Way as Everyone Else”

After several years in the national team system, Ohlsson felt it was time for a change. If he was going to become better than the others, he couldn’t just keep following the same tracks.

“I can’t go the same way as everyone else. Because then I’ll never get past them. I must find my own path to move ahead, to become the best. And maybe this was the detour I needed to take to succeed, to pass those I felt I was always just following.”

Oskar Ohlsson described last season as the best of his career, competing in the entire IBU Cup.

“I’m coming off my best season ever, and I’ve done it after three years in Norway. So, I must have done something right,” Oskar says.

What are your goals for the upcoming season?

“My mental coach wants me to divide it into dreams, goals, and sub-goals. The dream is the Olympics. I don’t think it’s impossible, but I think it’s extremely difficult. I’m very humble about it. The main goal is to compete in the World Cup. The sub-goal is to race as much as possible internationally in the IBU Cup and to do well at the European Championships here in Norway,” he concludes.

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