Stina Nilsson
Stina Nilsson in 2023
Country Sweden
Full nameTäpp Karin Stina Nilsson
Born (1993-06-24) 24 June 1993 (age 30)
Malung, Sweden
Height1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Ski clubIFK Mora SK
World Cup career
Seasons
Starts
  • 108 (cross-country skiing)
  • 14 (biathlon)
Podiums
  • 41 (cross-country skiing)
  • 1 (biathlon)
Wins
  • 23 (cross-country skiing)
  • 0 (biathlon)
Overall titles0 – (4th in 2017)
Discipline titles3 – (2 U23, 1 SP)
Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Women's cross-country skiing
International nordic ski competitions
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 1 2 2
World Championships 2 5 0
Total 3 7 2
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Pyeongchang Individual sprint
Silver medal – second place 2018 Pyeongchang 4 × 5 km relay
Silver medal – second place 2018 Pyeongchang Team sprint
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Sochi Team sprint
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Pyeongchang 30 km classical
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Seefeld Team sprint
Gold medal – first place 2019 Seefeld 4 × 5 km relay
Silver medal – second place 2015 Falun Individual sprint
Silver medal – second place 2015 Falun Team sprint
Silver medal – second place 2015 Falun 4 × 5 km relay
Silver medal – second place 2017 Lahti 4 × 5 km relay
Silver medal – second place 2019 Seefeld Individual sprint
Junior World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2012 Erzurum Individual sprint
Gold medal – first place 2013 Liberec Individual sprint
Gold medal – first place 2013 Liberec 4 × 3.33 km relay
Silver medal – second place 2012 Erzurum 4 × 3.33 km relay
European Youth Olympic Festival
Gold medal – first place 2011 Liberec Individual sprint
Women's biathlon
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Lenzerheide Mixed relay
Updated on 29 March 2020.

Stina Nilsson (born 24 June 1993) is a Swedish biathlete and former cross-country skier. She is a five-time Olympic medalist and the 2018 Olympic champion in the individual sprint. In March 2020 she announced that she would switch to competing in biathlon.[1]

Career

2011–12: World Cup debut and Junior World Champion

Stina Nilsson finished 23rd in her World Cup debut in Drammen on 7 March 2012. Nilsson won the gold medal in the sprint event at the 2012 Junior World Championships in Erzurum, Turkey.

2012–13

At the 2013 Junior World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic, Nilsson defended her gold medal in the sprint.[2]

2013–14: First Olympic medal and World Cup podium

On 19 February 2014, Nilsson and Ida Ingemarsdotter, won bronze medals together in the team sprint at the Olympic Games in Sochi. Nilsson also finished 10th in the individual sprint. She made her first individual World Cup podium on 5 March, having finished third in the classical sprint in Drammen.

2014–15: Falun World Championships

Nilsson won three silver medals at the 2015 World Championships in Falun; On 19 February in the individual sprint, on 22 February in the team sprint (with Ida Ingemarsdotter), and on 26 February in the 4 × 5 km relay (with Sofia Bleckur, Charlotte Kalla, and Maria Rydqvist). Nilsson won the Under-23 World Cup title for the 2014–2015 season and finished fourth in the Sprint World Cup.

2015–16

She defended the U23 World Cup title in the 2015–2016 season and finished third in the Sprint World Cup, having won three individual sprint events over the season.

2016–17

On 2 March 2017, she won the silver medal in the 4 × 5 km relay (with Anna Haag, Charlotte Kalla, and Ebba Andersson) at the World Championships in Lahti. Nilsson won nine individual World Cup races over the 2016–2017 season, finishing fourth in the Overall World Cup and second in the Sprint World Cup. She also finished overall-third in the Tour de Ski.[3]

2017–18: Four Olympic medals

Nilsson won four medals at the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. On 13 February she became an Olympic champion, having won the gold medal in the individual sprint. On 17 and 21 February respectively, she won silver medals in the 4 × 5 km relay (with Anna Haag, Charlotte Kalla, and Ebba Andersson) and in the team sprint (with Charlotte Kalla). On 25 February, Nilsson won a surprise bronze in the 30 km classical mass start. She also finished 10th in the 15 km skiathlon. She finished second in the 2017–2018 Sprint World Cup, having won three individual sprint events over the season.

She was awarded the Victoria Scholarship in 2018.[4]

2018-19: Continued World Championship success

Nilsson started the season off successfully, but injured her thigh in an extreme finish line stretch at the Otepää sprint event. She managed to recover just in time to return to competition at the 2019 World Championships in Seefeld, where she started her campaign with a silver medal in the freestyle sprint. She then went on to win her first World Championships gold medals in the classical team sprint and the 4 × 5 kilometre relay; in the latter, she anchored Sweden to the win by sprinting past Therese Johaug of Norway in the final uphill. Nilsson's success continued for the rest of the season and included a distance win at the World Cup finals in Quebec. She won the Sprint World Cup for the first time in her career.

2019-20: Injuries, switch to biathlon

Nilsson suffered a rib injury in the summer, but started the season with stable results, including 2nd places in the sprint and team sprint in Planica. At the first event of the Tour de Ski, however, the injury aggravated and she was forced to quit the Tour. She soon decided to end her season early after the recovery training proved to have been too heavy.[5] The podiums in Planica turned out to be her last as a cross-country skier.

On 22 March, she officially announced the unexpected news that she was switching sports to biathlon on her Instagram account.[6] She left cross-country skiing as one of Sweden's most decorated skiers of the 2010s.

2020-21: First steps in biathlon

For most of the 2020–21 season, Nilsson competed in the IBU Cup, where her season highlight was an 8th place in the pursuit at Brezno. A 2nd place in a relay held the same weekend marked Nilsson's first international biathlon podium. She also took part in the European Championships in January, placing 42nd in the sprint and 38th in the pursuit; struggles with shooting were consistently present during Nilsson's debut season.

In March 2021, Nilsson was selected to the Swedish team at their home World Cup competitions in Östersund, Sweden. She managed to perform well events, placing 26th in the sprint and 22nd in the pursuit, thus collecting her first world cup points already in her very first competitions in the Biathlon World Cup.

2021-22: First World Cup podiums in biathlon, Olympic roster

In the spring of 2021, Nilsson officially became part of Sweden's national biathlon team, having previously held a so-called "developmental" spot in the team.[7] In the summer biathlon Swedish championships, she sensationally won gold over the Öberg sisters, Elvira and Hanna.

Nilsson's second season as a biathlete saw her secure a near-permanent spot at the starting line in World Cup competitions; she took part in almost all WC weekends. Managing to recover her skiing speed and improving her aim, she reached the top twenty in eight individual competitions. In January 2022, she celebrated her first World Cup podium, a second place at the relay in Ruhpolding, where she got to ski a leg at the absence of Sweden's biggest biathlon stars. In March, Nilsson reached her first individual podium in biathlon when she placed third in the sprint at Kontiolahti, Finland.

She was named as the last athlete into the Swedish biathlon team for the 2022 Beijing Olympics, her first as a biathlete.[8] Due to the success of her more seasoned teammates, Nilsson did not get to start in any of the races, which prevented her from getting a first chance at winning an Olympic medal in both cross-country skiing and biathlon.

Cross-country skiing results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[9]

Olympic Games

 Year   Age   10 km 
 individual  		 15 km 
 skiathlon  		 30 km 
 mass start  		 Sprint   4 × 5 km 
 relay  		 Team 
 sprint 
2014 20 — — — 10 — Bronze
2018 24 — 10 Bronze Gold Silver Silver

World Championships

 Year   Age   10 km 
 individual  		 15 km 
 skiathlon  		 30 km 
 mass start  		 Sprint   4 × 5 km 
 relay  		 Team 
 sprint 
2013 19 — — — 5 — —
2015 21 — — — Silver Silver Silver
2017 23 13 26 — 12 Silver 4
2019 25 — — — Silver Gold Gold

World Cup

Season titles

Season
Discipline
2015 Under-23
2016 Under-23
2019 Sprint

Season standings

 Season   Age  Discipline standings Ski Tour standings
Overall Distance Sprint U23 Nordic
Opening 		Tour de
Ski 		Ski Tour
2020 		World Cup
Final 		Ski Tour
Canada
2012 18 93 — 63 — — — — — —
2013 19 67 — 38 — — — — — —
2014 20 35 72 12 — 52 — — DNF —
2015 21 12 41 4 1st place, gold medalist(s) 21 DNF — — —
2016 22 11 23 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 24 — — DNF
2017 23 4 6 2nd place, silver medalist(s) — 5 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) — 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) —
2018 24 12 33 2nd place, silver medalist(s) — 7 — — — —
2019 25 5 20 1st place, gold medalist(s) — 6 DNF — 1st place, gold medalist(s) —
2020 26 29 46 16 — 11 DNF — — —

Individual podiums

No. Season Date Location Race Level Place
1 2013–14 5 March 2014 Norway Drammen, Norway 1.3 km Sprint C World Cup 3rd
2 14 March 2014 Sweden Falun, Sweden 1.2 km Sprint C  Stage World Cup  3rd
3 2014–15 21 December 2014  Switzerland  Davos, Switzerland 1.3 km Sprint F World Cup 2nd
4 17 January 2015 Estonia Otepää, Estonia 1.2 km Sprint C World Cup 2nd
5 14 February 2015 Sweden Östersund, Sweden 1.2 km Sprint C World Cup 3rd
6 2015–16 27 November 2015 Finland Rukatunturi, Finland 1.4 km Sprint C Stage World Cup 2nd
7 29 November 2015 10 km C Pursuit Stage World Cup 2nd
8 27–29 November 2015 Finland Nordic Opening Overall Standings World Cup 2nd
9 13 December 2015  Switzerland  Davos, Switzerland 1.6 km Sprint F World Cup 1st
10 19 December 2015 Italy Toblach, Italy 1.3 km Sprint F World Cup 3rd
11 16 January 2016 Slovenia Planica, Slovenia 1.2 km Sprint F World Cup 1st
12 11 February 2016 Sweden Stockholm, Sweden 1.2 km Sprint C World Cup 3rd
13 1 March 2016 Canada Gatineau, Canada 1.7 km Sprint F Stage World Cup 2nd
14 4 March 2016 Canada Quebec City, Canada 1.5 km Sprint F Stage World Cup 1st
15 2016–17 26 November 2016 Finland Rukatunturi, Finland 1.4 km Sprint C World Cup 1st
16 31 December 2016  Switzerland  Val Müstair, Switzerland 1.5 km Sprint F Stage World Cup 1st
17 3 January 2017 Germany Oberstdorf, Germany 5  km + 5 km C/F Skiathlon Stage World Cup 1st
18 4 January 2017 10 km F Pursuit Stage World Cup 1st
19 7 January 2017 Italy Val di Fiemme, Italy 10 km C Mass Start Stage World Cup 1st
20 31 December 2016
– 8 January 2017		 SwitzerlandGermanyItaly Tour de Ski Overall Standings World Cup 3rd
21 28 January 2017 Sweden Falun, Sweden 1.4 km Sprint F World Cup 1st
22 18 February 2017 Estonia Otepää, Estonia 1.3 km Sprint F World Cup 1st
23 8 March 2017 Norway Drammen, Norway 1.2 km Sprint C World Cup 1st
24 17 March 2017 Canada Quebec City, Canada 1.5 km Sprint F Stage World Cup 1st
25 19 March 2017 10 km F Pursuit Stage World Cup 3rd
26 17–19 March 2017 Canada World Cup Final Overall Standings World Cup 3rd
27 2017–18 24 November 2017 Finland Rukatunturi, Finland 1.4 km Sprint C Stage World Cup 1st
28 9 December 2017  Switzerland  Davos, Switzerland 1.5 km Sprint F World Cup 1st
29 20 January 2018 Slovenia Planica, Slovenia 1.4 km Sprint C World Cup 1st
30 3 March 2018 Finland Lahti, Finland 1.4 km Sprint F World Cup 2nd
31 7 March 2018 Norway Drammen, Norway 1.2 km Sprint C World Cup 2nd
32 2018–19 30 November 2018 Norway Lillehammer, Norway 1.3 km Sprint F Stage World Cup 2nd
33 15 December 2018  Switzerland Davos, Switzerland 1.5 km Sprint F World Cup 1st
34 29 December 2018 Italy Toblach, Italy 1.3 km Sprint F Stage World Cup 1st
35 1 January 2019  Switzerland Val Müstair, Switzerland 1.4 km Sprint F Stage World Cup 1st
36 12 January 2019 Germany Dresden, Germany 1.6 km Sprint F World Cup 1st
37 16 March 2019 Sweden Falun, Sweden 1.4 km Sprint F World Cup 1st
38 22 March 2019 Canada Quebec City, Canada 1.6 km Sprint F Stage World Cup 1st
39 23 March 2019 10 km C Mass Start Stage World Cup 1st
40 22–24 March 2019 Canada World Cup Final Overall Standings World Cup 1st
41 2019–20 21 December 2019 Slovenia Planica, Slovenia 1.2 km Sprint F World Cup 2nd

Team podiums

No. Season Date Location Race Level Place Teammate(s)
1 2012–13 13 January 2013 Czech Republic Liberec, Czech Republic 6 × 0.85 km Team Sprint F World Cup 2nd  Ingemarsdotter 
2 2014–15 18 January 2015 Estonia Otepää, Estonia 6 × 1.2 km Team Sprint F World Cup 1st Ingemarsdotter
3 2015–16 17 January 2016 Slovenia Planica, Slovenia 6 × 1.2 km Team Sprint F World Cup 1st Ingemarsdotter
4 2016–17 18 December 2016 France La Clusaz, France 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 3rd Wikén / Rydqvist / Dyvik
5 2017–18 14 January 2018 Germany Dresden, Germany 6 × 1.3 km Team Sprint F World Cup 2nd  Falk 
6 2018–19 13 January 2019 Germany Dresden, Germany 6 × 1.6 km Team Sprint F World Cup 1st Dahlqvist
7 2019–20 22 December 2019 Slovenia Planica, Slovenia 6 × 1.2 km Team Sprint F World Cup 2nd Sundling

Biathlon results

All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union.

World Cup

Season Overall Individual Sprint Pursuit Mass start
Points Position Points Position Points Position Points Position Points Position
2020-21 34 71st - - 15 73rd 19 59th - -

Individual podiums

No. Season Date Location Race Place
1 2021–22 5 March 2022 Finland Kontiolahti Sprint 3rd

Team podiums

No. Season Date Location Race Place Team
1 2021–22 14 January 2022 Germany Ruhpolding Relay 2nd Skottheim / Nilsson / Brorsson / Magnusson
*Results are from IBU races which include the Biathlon World Cup, Biathlon World Championships and the Winter Olympic Games.

References

  1. ^ Petter Öhrling (11 March 2022). "Stina Nilsson byter sport till skidskytte" (in Swedish). SVT Sport. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  2. ^ "FIRST GOLD FOR SWEDEN AND GERMANY". FIS NORDIC JUNIOR & U23 WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS LIBEREC 2013. 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  3. ^ Lars Grimlund (8 January 2017). "Stina Nilsson trea i Tour de Ski". Dagens nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  4. ^ Daniel Sörensen (1 June 2018). "Stina Nilsson får Victoriastipendiet" (in Swedish). Sportbladet. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Längdskidor: Stina Nilsson: "Jag spände bågen för hårt"". 17 February 2020.
  6. ^ "Längdskidor: Stina Nilsson om superskrällen: "Kanske behöver vi en galen nyhet"". 22 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Skidskytte: Stina Nilsson får ordinarie plats i landslaget". 16 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Skidskytte: KLART: Stina Nilsson tas ut till OS". 16 January 2022.
  9. ^ "NILSSON Stina". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Retrieved 13 December 2019.

External links

Olympic champions in women's cross-country skiing individual sprint
World champions in women's cross-country skiing team sprint
World champions in women's cross-country skiing 3/4 × 5 km relay
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