It was in May that Samuelsson and his partner Linnéa Karlsson became parents to their daughter Elsa. Fantastic, thinks the 27-year-old.
It's hard to know beforehand how things will turn out. But it's been absolutely wonderful, says Samuelsson.
He continues:
Everything has worked out much better than I had expected. I've been able to train well. I had expected more compromises, but I haven't really felt that yet. So it's surprised me a bit, most things have gone a bit better than the challenges I saw beforehand. There have been challenges, but they've been resolved in a good way.
"Clearly, you're giving up something"
Samuelsson is now training at high altitude in Font Romeu, France, ahead of the season. He has opted out of the two previous summer camps to be at home with his daughter. Becoming a father, he believes, will do good for his athletic career.
I think I feel that when I'm training, which I've been able to do in the same way as before, it's been important to make the most of my time since it's very clear that you're giving up something else, he says.
He describes the feeling of no longer knowing what the next day will bring.
Now there's something else that has top priority. And that's probably made me make the most of my time in a better way. When I've been training, I've wanted to do as well as possible because I don't know what the next day will bring.
Focusing on shooting
During the summer training, Samuelsson is putting an extra large focus on shooting. He feels that his cross-country skiing is good enough to be able to compete for the overall World Cup.
But the shooting part has been lagging behind. So that's what I've been working very hard on.
The big goal for the upcoming season is to be in the mix for the overall World Cup. The finest thing you can win as a biathlete, according to Samuelsson.
I've won World Championship gold, I've won medals at championships, I've won in the World Cup. It feels natural that the next goal is to win the overall World Cup. It's clear that it's extremely difficult to do that and it requires performing at a high level over a long period of time. But that's what I want to do and feel that I'm missing, he says.
Born: March 28, 1997, in Katrineholm.
Lives: Östersund.
Club: I 21 IF.
Main merits: Won gold in the 2018 Olympic Games (relay), 2023 World Championship (mass start) and 2024 World Championship (relay).
