Oebergs at the Olympics: Can sisters Hanna and Elvira share the podium at Beijing 2022?

Over the years, the Olympic Winter Games has seen many members of the same family earn medals at the world's premier sporting competition.

Four members of the Christian family, for example, picked up four Olympic medals (including three golds) between 1960 (when Bill and Roger Christian were part of the U.S. ice hockey team that won gold at Squaw Valley) and 1980 (when Bill's son Dave won gold in the 'Miracle on Ice' at Lake Placid). At the 2018 Games in PyeongChang, three pairs of siblings won medals:

• Alex and Maia Shibutani (USA): bronze in the team ice dance competition
• Sándor Liu Shaolin and Shaoang Liu (HUN): gold in the short track speed skating 5000m relay
• Tarjei and Johannes Thingnes Bø (NOR): silver in the 4x7.5km relay (Johannes also won silver in the mixed relay and gold in the 20km individual events)

Now, at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, could Swedish sisters and biathletes Elvira and Hanna Oeberg join the prestigious group of family members to have won a medal at the same Games?

Hanna Oeberg: Olympic medallist and 'veteran' biathlete

The Oeberg's were born in the city of Kiruna, situated in the northern Swedish province of Lapland. While there are four years separating the sisters, both have achieved remarkable success in their young biathlon careers.

Hanna, 26, is a two-time world junior champion, 2019 European champion, and seven-time world championship medallist.

She made history in 2019 by becoming the first female biathlete to win the individual world championship title the year after taking the Olympic individual gold, having earlier triumphed in the 15km event at PyeongChang 2018. Hanna also earned a silver medal with Sweden's relay team in PyeongChang.

Hanna is also in the mix for a number of medals at the 2021/22 Biathlon World Cup, as she currently sits fifth in the overall standings, third in the pursuit standings, and third (as a member of Team Sweden) in the relay standings.

Her sister Elvira is even better positioned to find the podium at the World Cup.

Elvira Oeberg: A new superstar

Elvira, 22, is the younger sister of Hanna, and was already making waves in the biathlon world prior to Beijing 2022.

She won three gold medals in the youth category at the 2018 Biathlon Junior World Championships in Otepää; in the 10 km individual, the 3 × 6 km relay and the 6 km sprint respectively.

In the World Cup this season Elvira really began turning heads with her impressive shooting accuracy and ski speed. She has finished on the podium at seven races already (including wins in the pursuit and mass start races in France in December, as well as a sprint victory in Germany on 12 January), and currently sits third in the overall standings, second in the sprint standings, second in the pursuit standings and first in the Under-25 category.

On 18 December 2021, Elvira won her first World Cup race with victory in the 10km pursuit in Annecy Le Grand-Bornand in France, which was doubly significant as she shared the podium with Hanna, who finished third. The sisters would go on to find the podium again on 16 January in Ruhpolding, Germany, as Elvira and Hanna finished second and third respectively in the 10km pursuit.

Then came the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. On 11 February, Elvira became the first of the sisters to taste medal success at the Games, winning silver in the Women's 7.5km Sprint and showing she is in top form in the most important competition of her career.

The Oebergs at the Olympics

Hanna and Elvira were both favoured for medals in multiple events when the Beijing 2022 began on 4 February. Sweden won 14 medals in PyeongChang - their joint-second highest tally in their history at the Winter Games - including two golds and two silvers in the biathlon competition.

With the Oebergs in incredible form, and Hanna having already bagged a medal, could they possibly make it onto the podium together? There are two events left for the sisters to write their names in history together, Sunday 13 February's 10km pursuit and the women's 19 February's 12.5km mass start.