Madshus biathlete Synnøve Solemdal (NOR) was the talk of the town during the World Cup races in Hochpfilzen (AUT) this weekend. This was the major international breakthrough for the 23-year-old from Tingvoll, Norway.
“It was just crazy. I was the one who was the most surprised when it was all over. I really don’t grasp it yet. The targets seemed so large today,” Solemdal said to Norwegian television station NRK after the race on Saturday.
Solemdal nailed 19 out of the 20 targets without hesitation.
Halvard Hanevold, former world champion, Olympian and Madshus racer is impressed with Solemdal. Now an expert commentator with NRK, Hanevold points out her amazing potential.
“I dialed down my expectations for Synnøve prior to the race, and she put me to shame. This is insane. She combined speed in the track with confidence and skill at the range. That combination makes her the best in the world,” Hanevold says.
“I was very concerned before the race, and I’m very happy for her now. Prior to last season, she took a serious inventory of her approach to racing and started being a 24-hour athlete,” Hanevold says.
Synnøve Solemdal debuted on the World Cup circuit in the 2008-09 season, but Saturday’s victory was her first World Cup podium. On Sunday, she continued along the same lines and helped the Norwegian team to another World Cup victory in the women’s relay.