Helena Jonsson has been hit by illness that has affected her biathlon preparations for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

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Jonsson, 25, won the 2009 World Cup and tops this year's standings after four wins from 11 starts but did not compete at last week's races in Antholz-Anterselva because of a cold and a sore throat.

But the Swede is hoping to return to training in the next few days.

She said: "Hopefully, a couple of days of rest will do the trick. I'm trying to keep up good spirits but I'll promise you it's not easy this close to the Olympics. If I can limit the situation to two to three days off from training, it should be no cause for alarm."

The doctor of the Swedish biathlon team Klas Oestberg added: "Helena has a sore throat but no fever. She will take antibiotics and will hopefully be back in a couple of days. In that case, this infection will not affect her competing in the Olympics."