Anna-Karin Heijdenberg, a Swedish World Cup biathlete, has launched a YouTube vlog to share her journey beyond competitions, offering fans a personal and authentic look at her life. Her vlog highlights training, travel, and personal reflections, emphasising the importance of balancing athleticism with individuality. We talked with her about her motivation for starting the vlog.

BIATHLONWORLD: What inspired you to start a YouTube vlog series, and why now?

ANNA-KARIN HEIJDENBERG: I’ve always enjoyed both watching and sharing parts of my life on social media and have been really inspired by other athletes having a vlog, like Ingrid Tandrevold and Johannes Kläbo. You get the feeling that you know a person, and it gives you a closer connection. I wanted a place where I could show more of the person behind the athlete and behind the results. Other social media platforms, like Instagram and TikTok, sometimes go so fast and get really impersonal today, so I think YouTube gives me an opportunity to tell the story in a more personal and authentic way.

And why now? I have thought about it for a long time and just hadn’t taken the step because I didn’t know where to start, but I often feel like the autumn gives me so much time to spare, and then I just thought I would try, and I’m really loving it so far, both to make the content and to feel the closer connection to the viewers.

BW:What are the main goals you hope to achieve with this vlog?

AKH: My main goal is to let people get to know me beyond being a biathlete and to give them a more honest look at what life as an elite biathlete looks like—the part that doesn’t show up in competitions and interviews. I also want the vlog to be a place where I can show the highs and lows. For me to be “AK” and not only the biathlete is so important and is part of my sustainable elite career.

BW: How do you plan to balance your biathlon training and competition schedule with creating content for the vlog?

AKH: Of course, the priority of training and competition will always come first, and I really don’t know how it will be in the competition season, but I often feel restless, and I think that this is a good “hobby” (or what I should call it) to spend time on. It’s rather a part of my everyday life than a completely separate job, and I think that it creates value for my biathlon career at the same time. I also look forward to continuing to explore my creative side through editing because that’s something I feel really new at, but I’m surprised by how fun it is.

BW: What kind of content can fans expect to see in your vlog? (e.g., behind-the-scenes, training insights, personal stories, etc.)

AKH: There will be a mix of training, competitions, and behind-the-scenes moments, and also a lot of the things that happen around the sport.

Viewers can expect to see training camps, traveling, preparing for races, and what happens in between races. I also want to share more of my personality through thoughts and feelings, to get to know me. As I said earlier, it’s important to still be myself and not only a biathlete. I like to watch football, hang out with friends and family, and go shopping, and my plan is to show what I do in my free time as well.

BW: Do you hope to inspire others—especially young athletes—through this vlog? If so, how?

AKH: Absolutely, I hope that by showing the whole journey, rather than only the successful moments, I can show that becoming a professional athlete is about much more than only training and results.

It is important to me that my everyday life be inspiring and fun, but the journey also comes with difficult days, setbacks, and moments when things don’t go as planned. I think it’s important to show that those things are also a normal part of pursuing a big goal. If someone watching feels inspired to believe in themselves and keep working to achieve their goals while they remember to enjoy the journey, that would mean a lot to me.

BW: How do you think sharing your journey on YouTube will impact your connection with fans and the biathlon community?

AKH: I think it can create a much more personal connection, and I hope that all biathlon fans appreciate seeing more of the person behind the results. I hope viewers will feel like they get to know me better and understand the work that doesn’t show up in the competitions. Maybe I will also get some new fans that will cheer a little extra for me ;)

BW: Are there any specific themes or messages you want to highlight in your vlog?

AKH: Probably the most important theme is “AK behind the biathlete AK”, and to get to know the person behind the athlete. I’m planning to show both training, competitions, what I do in my free time, and also share my thoughts and feelings, both when I succeed and when times are tougher. Of course, I’m not fully self-aware, and I think that getting to know yourself more and more every day is also a journey to follow.

BW: What’s one thing you’re most excited for viewers to take away from your vlog series?

AKH: An extension of what you can see in competitions, interviews, and on other social media platforms. I want the vlog to leave people with the feeling that they have shared a small part of the journey with me, whether the day ended with a great result, a difficult lesson, or simply another step forward.