The 26-year-old Norwegian had retired and is now focusing full-time on medical studies. Then she beat several World Cup stars at the biathlon season opener in Geilo – and suddenly she is a candidate for the World Cup.

The biathlete from Skrautvål had essentially finished her career after last season. But she still decided to join the national season opener in Geilo this weekend.

It went far beyond expectations: Marit Øygard finished second in Saturday’s sprint, just three tenths behind World Cup skier Maren Kirkeeide – and miles ahead of stars like Dorothea Wierer and the rest of the Norwegian elite squad.

On Sunday, she followed up with a rock-solid seventh place, the third-best result for Norway.

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Retired in August – almost!

Last winter, Marit Øygard had her breakthrough, achieving international podiums and making her World Cup debut. However, in April, she chose to decline a national team spot, opting instead to study medicine full-time in Trondheim.

She has still decided to see whether it is possible to combine studies with some form of continued athletic ambition, though she expects it to be challenging.

“I’ve trained well despite a lot of schoolwork and reading. The challenge is rest and how good the recovery will be,” the 26-year-old told Avisa Valdres.

“If it goes really well, it’s a miracle”

Øygard hadn’t competed either this summer or autumn, so she was extremely nervous about her form. Ahead of the season opener in Geilo, she said that if things went well, it would be a miracle.

“In terms of results, I have no big expectations. If it goes really well, then it’s a miracle,” she said.

But for Øygard, there may be something magical about the stadium in Geilo. In December of last year, she claimed her first international podium, finishing second in the IBU Cup, which led to her first World Cup starts.

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May have to reconsider priorities

Now, Øygard may be heading back to the World Cup. Up for grabs at the national season opener in Geilo were three spots for the World Cup opener in Östersund. And the results in the early part of the World Cup season form the basis for the Norwegian Olympic selection in February.

The Norwegian national coaching staff will announce the selection for the World Cup opener at the start of the week.

What will you do about your studies if you are selected for the World Cup?

“Then I’ll probably have to reconsider a bit. Medical studies are not particularly compatible with full-time biathlon,” Marit Øygard told NRK live after her second place on Saturday.

The biathlon World Cup opener takes place in Östersund from November 29 to December 7. The Olympics will be held from February 6 to 22.

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