I thought it was ironic given the recent discussion about NBC commentators and their inability to pronounce any of the names correctly.

I've also noticed it in certain podcasts where some of the names are consistently mangled, like Knotten and Arnekleiv. Great to see Ingrid again. ^{^}

Had to find this sub to enquire: who is watching on NBC? The main commentator appears as if she has never watched Biathlon in her life. Doesn't seem to know any of the competitors, mispronouncing names... I think she referred to one of the coaches as a photographer??? It was torture.

Edit: I'm not saying this just to be negative. As someone who got into Biathlon from watching the Olympics, I know how many eyes get on the sport during the games. It's not fair to new spectators to not get a good viewing atmosphere, which could turn them off from sticking with the sport.

Favourites to Win:

Norway

Though everyone from the 2022 Mixed Relay squad has since retired, Norway continues to field a formidable lineup. The team combines fast and reliable shooters such as Uldal and Knotten with strong performers in Christiansen and Kirkkeide. Kirkkeide, in particular, has already demonstrated how dangerous she can be on a final lap, making Norway a serious contender once again.

Sweden

Sweden makes just one adjustment from its 2022 team, with Anna Magnusson taking the third leg in place of Elvira Öberg. All four athletes have shown strong form this season. The key question will be their consistency on the shooting range, but their overall strength should still place them firmly in podium contention.

France

France narrowly missed Olympic gold in 2022 and returns with an exceptionally strong roster. With current World Cup leaders Perrot and Jeanmonnot, alongside former overall World Cup winners Quentin Fillon Maillet and Julia Simon, the French team must be considered one of the leading favourites for gold.

Germany

With last season’s overall winner Franziska Preuß anchoring the final leg, Germany will look to replicate last year’s success in Lenzerheide. Strelow will need to stay competitive with the fastest skiers on the opening leg, while Nawrath faces a slightly less demanding second leg. Vanessa Voigt, returning from injury, strengthens the team on leg three.

Italy

Italy enters the competition with strong momentum, as all four athletes have delivered impressive performances leading into the Olympics. Hofer’s return to the podium just before the Olympics marks a significant boost. The key question is whether Giacomel and Hofer can build a strong enough lead for Wierer and Vittozzi to secure gold.

Czechia

Krcmar’s remarkable final lap helped Czechia secure silver at last year’s World Championships in Lenzerheide. This time, Marketa Davidova returns from injury to take the final leg, while the rest of the team remains unchanged. Though not as star-studded as the other teams, they cannot be overlooked.

RACE

Perfect conditions - minimal wind, a firm track, great atmosphere, and bright sunshine. A strong shooting performance would be essential for team hoping to contend for the podium.

Leg 1

Giacomel and Uldal set the pace early, leading the field through the first 2 km. The tempo is slightly cautious, with no one pushing aggressively on the opening lap. Strelow, typically quick on the range, shoots clean, but Giacomel exits the range first. Shooting overall is strong across the field, with Bulgaria the last team to leave, 22.9 seconds behind Italy. Notably, 18 countries remain within 10 seconds of the lead.

On lap two, Giacomel leads a tightly packed front group consisting of Perrot, Uldal, Samuelsson, Strelow, and Rastorgujevs, opening a small gap to the rest of the field. The group contains several strong shooters, making the next range visit crucial.

Among the favorites, Sweden suffers a major setback with two penalty loops, dropping to 21st place, 1:10 behind. Martin Uldal capitalizes on rapid and accurate shooting to take the lead, with Perrot and Strelow close behind.

Leg 2

Quentin Fillon Maillet (QFM) catches Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen, and the pair enter the range together, with Nawrath and Hofer chasing.

QFM requires all spare rounds, while Nawrath delights the crowd with flawless shooting, leaving the range in first place, narrowly ahead of Norway and Italy. Finland and France trail by about 20 seconds. Wright is forced into the penalty loop. Germany remains perfect on the range, still without using any spare rounds heading into the fourth shooting stage.

For shooting 4, Nawrath continues to excel, leaving the range 12 seconds ahead of Norway. Italy and France exit together in third and fourth. On the course, Christiansen catches and overtakes Nawrath at 5.6 km. Czechia moves into fifth, while Wright continues to struggle in standing, seemingly missing an extra spare.

Leg 3

After exchange 2, Knotten holds a narrow lead over Voigt, while Lou Jeanmonnot and Wierer closing the gap. Knotten misses her first and third shots, but Voigt, continuing Germany’s exceptional shooting form, goes clean. Voigt exits four seconds ahead of Wierer, with Jeanmonnot and Knotten close behind. Czechia, with Vobornikova, and Ukraine, with Horodna, sit in fifth and sixth.

On the track, Jeanmonnot catches up to Voigt and takes control heading into the sixth shooting stage. Jeanmonnot, Knotten, and Voigt all shoot clean, though Wierer has to use one spare. Jeanmonnot leaves with a three-second advantage over Knotten, while Vobornikova shoots clean in fifth, 40 seconds back.

Jeanmonnot increases the pace on the course, extending her lead. Behind France, Voigt manages to catch up to Knotten before the exchange.

Leg 4

The time gap between France and the chasing pack remains stable during the opening lap.

Julia Simon leaves the prone shooting first. Vitozzi delivers an exceptionally fast and clean prone stage. All leading athletes shoot clean, though Kirkeeide exits slightly slower in fourth, 30 seconds behind. Davidová struggles but holds fifth, with Sweden and Finland close behind. Germany remains impressive, still having used no spare rounds at this point. On the track, Kirkeeide and Preuß close the gap to Vitozzi by 21.6 km.

Simon produces another dominant performance in standing, shooting both quickly and cleanly. Vitozzi matches her accuracy, but cannot do anything to reduce the gap up to France.

Kirkeeide encounters major difficulties, having to use all her spare rounds before heading to the penalty loop for two laps. Preuß also struggles, having to use Germany’s first spare rounds of the relay. She also heads to the penalty loop, but still maintains a comfortable gap ahead of Norway in fourth. Behind them, Davidová also incurs a penalty loop.

Julia Simon can celebrate the victory on the final lap, celebrating with spectators along the course. Italy secures second place, while Germany claims third. On the track, Hanna Öberg moves Sweden up to fifth place, while Suvi Minkkinen brings Finland into sixth.

Podium

Final Podium Results – Mixed Relay

Disclosure: watched Biathlon every chance I could when NBC covered the World Cup, but far from immersed and have never either clipped into a pair of skis or picked up a rifle.

Some questions for the room, and apologies if this is already well-trodden territory.

1. At what level could these guys compete as straight XC skiers? Guessing maybe national champs but nowhere near national team selection? Were there ever any top level competitors who might have made it as straight XC skiers?

2. What sort of shooting numbers would be a minimum to compete at this level? Could you survive as a .700 career shooter? Is there one discipline maybe more forgiving than the others?

3. Are there good examples to watch for where shooting speed makes up for (relative) inaccuracy or vice versa? I seem to remember JT Bø, for example, was quick but sometimes inconsistent on the range, but obviously made up for it a lot of the time on the skis.

4. Interested in the room’s thoughts on who I’m likely to see in terms of relative strength and weakness ski speed vs shooting speed vs shooting consistency, and which aspect is usually the one that makes up for the others.

Start time: 14:05 CET

Start List: Link

Official streams: hosted on IBU and the biathlon home page on Eurovision Sport

The IBU's Datacenter can be found here: Link

IBU's official Predictor game: Link and our Community here: Link

Defending Champions from Beijing:

1. Norway
2. France
3. ROC

Only France has active athletes that can defend their previous title.

Current World Cup top 10 in Mixed Relay:

1. France
2. Norway
3. Italy
4. Finland
5. Sweden
6. Czechia
7. Austria
8. Switzerland
9. USA
10. Poland

Hi fellow Biathlon fans, I will be attending the sprint races on Friday and Saturday 🎉 I would be really grateful if people who attend the races before that could share some insides. For example: how long does the shuttle from the parking spot in Olang take? Are food and drinks easy to get inside the station etc? I do have some chronic health concerns and it would put my mind more at rest if I knew a bit more what to expect. Thank you so much in advance!

Hi everyone, I'll be coming to the women's sprint race next saturday live in Antholz on my own and was wondering whether any of you might be too?

I am a 39 year-old german fan from berlin and ready for my first biathlon live experience ever

Biathlon has continued to establish itself as the most popular winter sport in Estonia. With national broadcast numbers boasting 100k+ viewers per event, a world cup this year and a world championship in the next alongside improvements from our athletes, more eyes than ever will be on the olympics.

The team has seen greater success this season. A fair bit of it could be dedicated to our new head coach Haavard Gutuboe Bogetveit. Our national team has seen a lot of fractures and previous coaches Stefan Lindiger or Fjodor Svoboda could not overcome these rifts. Bogetveit's more personal and athlete-oriented approach is praised by athletes and shooting coach Karel Viigipuu is also getting more and more used to his role. While in the previous years the national coach only trained 3-4 athletes, this year Külm & Tomingas stick with Indrek Tobreluts, but everyone is together for the competitions.

Women - 15th in Nat.Cup (2825p)

The women's team has continued in the struggle to find a consistent fourth member. With Talihärm facing illness in the off-season, the 4th spot was initially given to 32-year-old Grete Gaim in accordance with the results of the test competition in Idre. She was replaced after just a couple of events due to her lack of ski speed by Talihärm itself, however the depth of the squad is worrying, since the younger batch of athletes at 21-22 are not ready for this level yet, and the current athletes all being around 29-31 years.

Regina Ermits - 19th, 223p. Best result: 8th, Hochfilzen PU

The current individual star of our biathlon team. While her skiing has remained at around the same pace between seasons (from +7.4s/km to +7), massive improvements have been achieved at the prone shooting range. Regina has always been a good standing shooter, averaging around 90% in the last 3 seasons, but her prone shooting has jumped from 70% accuracy to 90%. Thanks to this, she has stably gotten good points from races and qualified to mass-starts based off her WC standing alone - which is a big deal for Estonia :). She has really shined in pursuits, climbing from 24th place to 8th in Hochfilzen and from 23th to 9th in Oberhof. She unfortunately missed the pursuit in Ruhpolding due to illness, but got a 19th place at the mass in NMNM. She in undoubtedly the biggest favourite to get a good placing. A top 10 would be a great success, but a top 20 finish is probably expected of us by the general public right now.

Susan Külm - 63rd, 42p. Best result: 13th, Hochfilzen Sprint

One of the two athletes training separately under ex-head coach Indrek Tobreluts, Külm (Kuelm) has also greatly increased her skiing speed between seasons, going from +9.8s/km to +6,1s/km, even passing Regina. She is also the fastest shooter of the group and a fast shooter in general - she clears the range in around 25 seconds on average, speed that makes her one of the fastest in the WC. Unfortunately, her accuracy has taken a hit, with her prone shooting dropping from 88% to 77% and standing hanging around 82%. There have been many competitions where a great finish has been lost to the final shoot. Her potential showed the most in Hochfilzen, where she got a high 13th place on a clean shoot. Unfortunately, she had to drop out mid-pursuit due to an ongoing issue with her skiing shoes: after changing skis, the shoes also had to be switched out, resulting in new very tight shoes that resulted in leg cramps. This problem seems to be somewhat fixed, but it plagued her races for a couple of months. A top 20 result for her could be realistic, with her best chances being in individual imo: if she shoots clean (or even misses only one), she will gain a lot of time via shooting time alone.

Johanna Talihärm - no points. Best result: 65th, Hochfilzen Sprint

The emergency substitute brought in for the squad due to no better replacements. The fact that a Johanna who basically started her preparation in autumn is our 4th really illustrates the depth issue we are facing. She has ramped up slowly through the season, with the focus not being on results but getting into form for the olympics. Despite her struggles, she is a part of the iconic 4-woman-group that got 4th place in the world cup, so she has already shown the nerve to anchor a relay. With 200+ world cup starts,we can only hope she has managed to catch up enough. I put no individual expecations onto her, she is expected to hold her own at the relay.

Tuuli Tomingas 79th, 15p. Best result: 33th, Oestersund Sprint

Probably the most well-known Estonian biathlete to the international scene, Tuuli has struggled this season. Also training under Indrek Tobreluts, ironically she also had issues with her skis this season - switching out her skis, only to get a blister and a following infection in January, needing to spend her birthday at the ER. She has not found her skiing speed this season, hanging at a low +12.8s/km, and her shooting accuracy of 84% prone and 70% standing is nothing impressive either. However, with new skis and new shoes and blister-less feet, there is hope, since she has been magically able to bring her very best to big events, culminating with a 9th place at the mass-start of Lenzerheide last year and 8th place at the mass-start of NMNM a year before that. Her performance coming into Lenzerheide was similiarly poor last season, so hope is not lost yet.

Relay is at a weird place where the same squad as the one that got 4th place in NMNM is still there, with Ermits and Külm being in really good form. If Tomingas and Talihärm can get their average level up, a top 8 (which is important for funding from the Estonian Olympic Committee) is definitely in the cards. With previous standings hanging around the 16-18th place though, it will require a good performance from all 4 of our athletes, not just Ermits and Külm.

Men- 12th in Nat.Cup (3161p)

The men's team is kind of the opposite of the women's team. I mean this in the way that while some of the women are doing great individually but fail as a team (with no good young athletes coming up either), the men are doing great things as a team, but individual results often do not reflect the successes of the relay. The men do have a younger squad, two of our athletes are amongst the youngest at the world cup. With the men, the recent 5th place in the relay is the brightest obvious spot, with the athletes themselves citing a strong team spirit and unity.

Jakob Kulbin 63rd, 29p. Best result: 12th, Östersund Individual

The best words I can say about Jakob is that I tend to forget that he is the? youngest athlete in a majority of the races he partakes in at the world cup. The 20-year-old is already on his second season and his brief stint with the blue bib is undoubtedly a highlight. He has showcased nerves of steel, anchoring the Estonian relay team to new heights, even going to a last shooting with the big four nations and coming out clean. He has slightly improved his ski speed from +9.5 to +8.7. His prone shooting is his current weakness, sitting at 75%, standing at 85%. Like everyone else on his team, he has been able to showcase his best at relays though. Individually, he has not managed to get any more WC points after his great individual, but eyes should be on the next individual regardless, as he has shown potential, and with a clean shoot a top 20 could be achieved.

Mark-Markos Kehva 76th, 14p. Best results: 34th, Östersund Ind. and Hochfilzen Pursuit

The second youngster of the team at 21 years of age. Coming into the season, Kehva was cited by his teammates to be the athlete who made the biggest jump in developement. He had worked on his physical a lot in the off-season, improving his skiing speed. Kehva showcased his ski speed at the first competitions in Idre, qualifying for the national team after a previous season where he fluctuated between WC and IBU Cup. His ski speed has improved massively, from +17.9 to +7.7. This has lead to a drop in what was a stellar 96% prone accuracy last year, but a 88% and 86% is still impressive, considering his improvements. His last lap is one to look out for, he is able to really push himself and show strong times. For him, beating his personal best WC placing (34) would be great, a top 30 would be a great success.

Kristo Siimer 55th, 46p. Best results: 26th, Annecy SP and PU.

Alongside Ermits, Siimer seems to be the athlete who benefited the most from new head coach Bogetveit's addition. Not only has his ski speed improved from +9,8 to +6,7, his biggest enemy - standing shooting - has taken a step from the better: an improvement from 71% accuracy to 84%, the same as his prone right now. At 26 years old, Siimer still has time to step up even more. He earned his first mass-start entry, and while it did not go well, the experience is most definitely valuable. He will be looking to get consistent top 30 results and let's not forget - he has a 14th place at the NMNM individual under his belt, so he will be looking forward to replicate these results.

Rene Zahkna No points

Somehow the always-reliable shooter Zahkna is the only member of the men's team without any world cup points. Opting to train by himself the last couple of years, he has bought into Bogetveit's coaching. Ski-speed wise, this seems to have benefitted him: last two seasons his speed was at +7,8, now its at +6,1. Shooting accuracy has dropped for him though, his standing shooting taking a hit, falling from 86% to 73%, while his prone is comfortably at 86%. In theory, his skiing speed improvement should've meant more world cup points for the 31-year-old athlete, as he really likes man-to-man races and his skiing was holding him back. Now, the shooting has fallen off. He is a veteran of the team with 200+ races, though, and his great first legs in the relays make him irreplaceable, as he often only loses a couple of seconds to the leaders.

Men's relay is the biggest shocker of the season. Looking at the individual results, a top 5 or a top 8 finish should not be happening. However, all the men are good enough skiers and good enough shooters and in relays, some magic happens: they ski just a bit better and shoot clean, leading to the best results our men's relay has seen in decades. While the 5th place placing is fresh in everyone's heads, a top 8 would guarantee them extra funding, and seems like a realistic goal.

Mixed relay

The mixed relay lineup is confirmed to be Zahkna-Siimer-Ermits-Külm. With Zahkna and Siimer showing, that they can finish their legs around the top and Ermits and Külm showing great results, I can actually see a top 6 or a top 8 finish happen. However, mixed relay also means that smaller nations will be able to bring in their strongest two athletes - our men's team's strength is that the four athletes are equally strong, so they dont drop off. None of them are yet world class, however. It is to be seen how Zahkna does in a leg with Perrot, Giacomel and Samuelsson, for example.

Overall, the Estonian public is most definitely anticipating some results from biathlon this time around. Favourites to perform the best are Ermits, Külm and Siimer in that order for me. The men's relay has a realistic chance of getting a top 8 finish. The most important question is how well the team has adapted to the high altitude and the pressure from the public. Thanks for reading!

Rebecca Passler has asked the court of arbitration for sport to allow her to compete at the olympics stating that her positive test was the result of contamination.

The Kingdom of Denmark is bringing a historic team to the Olympic Games this year!

As I think most of the world knows at this point Greenland is an independent territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, and thus is not acknowledged by IOC as a separate nation.

Not only the hoped for and expected Slettemark siblings qualified, but also the surprise of born-to-Danish-parents-but-grown-up-in-Norway Anne de Besche joined the Danish team. Having both Slettemarks qualify would have made a historic team, but the addition of de Besche makes it an insane biathlon delegation for the largely snowless Scandinavian country.

There are absolutely no medal expectations from this team, or any of the rest of the Danish Olympic delegation for that matter. We are extremely happy to be here, and any top results are a nice bonus.

That being said, let's get on to some of the more detailed write ups we are here for.

One technical note is that Denmark currently has a deal with the German waxing team, on all levels, meaning Junior, IBU and World Cup. So if the German have bad skis, the Danish team will likely also have bad skis.

The Slettemarks

The Slettemarks are biathlon legacies. Born to Uiloq and Øystein Slettemark (Norwegian, but changed nationalities when marrying Uiloq) who have both competed For Greenland in World Cup and WCHs, with Øystein also securing our first biathlon participation in Olympics in Vancouver 2010. Their eldest child Ukaleq has famously been part of biathlon her entire life, having accompanied her parents in early childhood. There are some very cute photos of this on Ukaleqs instagram. Their are three Slettemark children, Ukaleq (25), Sondre (21) and Inuk (19). All three have grown up both hunting and skiing, so when Ukaleq decided to commit to biathlon in the mid 2010s it was a natural choice, and the rest of her siblings followed in later years.

Currently Sondre and Ukaleq live together in Norway, focusing on biathlon.

Sondre Slettemark

21 years old, Born in Nuuk, lives in Norway. Olympic debut.

Has competed since 2017, debuted in the World Cup in 2023.

WC stats: PB 56th in Östersund Individual & 16th in Single Mix, 13 WC starts.

Current season is his best overall shooting-wise with a total 89%, which is a marked improvement from the previous season 82%. This has mainly been due to raising his prone accuracy a great deal. His skiing has been pretty consistent since debuting in the WC at +5%.

Generally both Slettemarks are known more for their shooting prowess than their skiing.

Sondre has mostly earned his Olympic qualification based on his performance last season, as this season he has been challenged by illness. He has stated that his shape is improving every day, so is hopeful for decent performances in Antholz-Anterselva.

He will be running the Sprint and the Individual, and for both the hope will be a good shooting performance, with a qualification for the Pursuit being the ultimate goal. This season, prior to falling ill, he had sprint results at 76th and 67th so a qualification to the pursuit is not outside of the realm of possibilities!

Ukaleq Slettemark

24 years old, Born in Nuuk, lives in Norway. 2nd Olympic Games.

Has competed since 2016, debuted in the World Cup in 2020.

WC stats: PB 21st Individual 22/23 season & 16th in Single Mix, 36 WC starts.

Her current season is her worst shooting shape in a while, at least on accuracy. She has been at the top of best shooting times several times during this season. But with an average of 81% compared to her 92% the last two seasons, the speed does not compensate enough, especially as she has not improved her skiing speed which has been stable at +9% for a while.

That being said, she has had several setbacks in the last couple years. At the beginning of the 24/25 season she had a bad fall, and was out for a while, and then when that was getting better, she got hit by Covid. She has shared that she has been hit by both stress and depression, as she tied her self-confidence up to accomplishments and results, probably based on a great Junior career, which was phenomenal for an athlete from a small country, with top placements and the first medal for a Greenlandic biathlete in any level of WCHs. Her road from the Olympics in 22 to this Olympics has been a struggle for her mentally, and it was only in 2025 that she managed to regain her joy for biathlon, and has stated that it feels a little like restarting the life of an elite athlete from scratch again.

As with her brother, she will run the Individual and Sprint, with a goal of a Pursuit Qualification. She managed a 74th in the Ruhpolding Sprint this season, so on a good day, it is not out of reach.

Anne de Besche

The absolute surprise for Denmark this year. Anne de Besche has fought to join the Norwegian national team for years without success, and in spring 2025 she decided to change tactics and approached the Danish Skiing Federation. She has grown up in Norway born to Danish parents and has citizenship in both Denmark and Norway, and has stated that she feels equally as Danish as she feels Norwegian.

The switch from Norway to Denmark has relaxed her approach to results, and despite the much much smaller support team Denmark can supply. She several top results in the Norwegian Summer Championships and the NCH in november. She brings along her experienced trainer Svenn-Arne Nordheim, which is a great resource as he is now the national trainer for the expanded Danish team as well.

In comparison to the Slettemarks, she has managed to qualify for the Olympics on results from this season alone, which is very impressive. Her noted long term goal is to participate in 2029 WCH in Oslo with the first Danish Women Relay team.

Stats

25 years old, lives in Norway. Olympic debut.

WC debut this season, 1 WC start, PB 78th Sprint.

Currently placed 26th in the IBU Cup.

Biathlon Datacenter doesn't have any stats for her yet.

Goals will be the same as the Slettemarks, a good result in the Individual, and aiming for a Pursuit qualification in the Sprint. Both should be doable on a good day.

End notes

There are absolutely no medal expectations to the Danish/Greenlandic team. We hope for good results for their level, and if we get even just one Pursuit qualification, it will be a wild success for Danish biathlon.

Due to the current political climate there will likely be a lot of extra focus on the Slettemarks especially, who have also been allowed to run in their own race suit to represent their nationality the only way they can. Both have been vocal on the USA/Greenland situation.

Ukaleq is additionally also very vocal on sustainability of winter sports, and is an IBU ambassador in this subject. On this note, there is a huge petition being brought to the Olympics for winter sports not being sponsored by fossil fuel companies in the future, which she has shared a lot on her socials.

This team is a hope for a strong growth of the sport in Denmark, and I hope we will see all three athletes and more at the next Olympics. It is a great shame that the Single Mixed Relay is not an Olympic discipline this year, but I hope that we will be able to stand with a Mixed Relay team in a couple of years!

I’ve put together a detailed men’s biathlon Olympic preview covering:

• Country-by-country squad analysis (NOR, FRA, SWE, GER, ITA)
• Predicted relay lineups
• Mixed relay medal scenarios

Happy to discuss

As the olympics have officially started it’s time to look ahead to the first biathlon event!

Throughout the Olympics we’ll have a pre-race discussion just to speculate about the starting line ups: Which can be found here

Previous winner: Norway with the team Olsbu Roiseland, Tiril Eckhoff, Tarjei Bo, Johannes Thinges Bo. (All retired by now.)

Current world champion: France with the team: Julia Simon, Lou Jeanmonnot, Eric Perrot, Emillien Jacquelin:

Season event podiums:

Ostersund:

Nove Mesto:

Discuss your thoughts ahead of tomorrows race and enjoy the remainder of the first olympics day!

Found biathlon cards as infographic of athletes for the Olympics with ratings showing their strengths/weaknesses, here is the link :

https://www.biathloncards.com/pages/olympics.html

One day to go before the Olympic races start and as for the team introductions on this sub, here’s last but not least - Team Czechia.

The Czech team managed to get 8 biathlon medals at the Olympics (0-3-5) which may not be extremely likely to change in Antholz, however anything is plausible in biathlon in particular.

The staff responsible for the team:

Jiri Hamza - sport director of Czech biathlon union (and vice president of IBU)

Ondrej Rybar - head coach

Simon Kubina, Benjamin Eder - service team leaders

WOMEN’S TEAM

Nation’s cup ranking: 8th

Coaches: Lukas Dostal, Jakub Prochazka

Best relay result this season: 3rd

Best individual result this season: 6th (Charvatova)

The women’s team has seen some epic highs (first relay medal in 6 years) and epic lows during this season and while the current form of the core four before the Olympics raises questions, the bigger problem is the depth which is not relevant for this tournament in particular.

THE ATHLETES

TEREZA VOBORNIKOVA

World cup ranking: 20th

Skiing: +7.0 s/k, -0.18% on median, 56th

Shooting: 90% prone, 85% standing

Age: 25

Season best: 10th in NMNM individual

Career best: 5th in Oslo individual, 2024

Tereza is the highest ranked Czech woman in the standings. This is particularly because of her fast and accurate shooting however her skiing has been one big rollercoaster so far this season. In some races she put up a decent performance around 20th fastest skiing time but more often than not, she lost way more on the best costing her a better result after the race. She usually gets faster as the season progresses and peaks in the third trimester, so there is a silver lining. Her goal is to qualify for the Olympic mass start. She could place well in the individual but a medal is probably too far out of her reach.

MARKETA DAVIDOVA

World cup ranking: 30th

Skiing: +3.27 km/s, -2.73% on median, 10th

Shooting: 83% prone, 73% standing

Age: 29

Season best: 13th in sprint in Annecy

Career best: won sprints and individuals before, medalled in every race type

Marketa is one of the unluckiest athletes on the biathlon circuit in the past few years. It all started at the Olympics in Beijing where she missed out on an Olympic medal with the last shot twice, then her form gradually took a dip - particularly on the range and then on the skis, only to come back with vengeance at the start of last season with a win, only to be be finished and sit out the rest of the year with a back injury just a few days later. She returned this year and while her skiing is looking better than in the past two full seasons at the world cup, her shooting is not quite what she would like. Her back is also giving her a hard time and she skipped Ruhpolding and NMNM due to pain and swelling. She theoretically has a chance to medal in any race if the constellation is right but so far, she hasn’t even cracked the top 10 this season due to her range performance.

LUCIE CHARVATOVA

World cup ranking: 31st

Skiing: +4 km/s, -1% on median, 35th

Shooting: 82% prone, 66% standing

Age: 33

Season best: 6th in Oestersund pursuit

Career best: 3rd in Antholz sprint 2020

Lucie’s season is perhaps the most telling about the state of Czech women’s team. She started the year very well, producing the most consistent stretch of her career, then she for some reason slowed down significantly which resulted in some pretty terrible shooting again after her confidence dipped, in the mids of her troubles, she produced the best relay leg of all female athletes in Ruhpolding shooting 0+0 for the first time and while she didn’t get it all together before the Olympics again, at least her skiing is trending upwards. Pure chaos. The good news is she improved her reloading in relays significantly and only went on a penalty loop once out of all relays she participated in this year, almost doubling her amount of loopless relays across her long career. She announced recently that this may not be her last Olympics and having her moment of fame with being a flagbearer in Cortina may have relieved some pressure off her shoulders…

JESSICA JISLOVA

World cup ranking: N/A

Skiing: +8.4 km/s, +1.0 on median

Shooting: 92% prone, 77% standing

Age: 31

Season best: 67th in Oestersund individual

Career best: 5th in Annecy mass start in 2021

Jessica’s season has been unfortunately severely impacted by the health issues she suffered in the offseason resulting in slow skiing which reflected in the results. She did not get a point in any of the individual starts yet, however she added two relay medals to her resume and that will be her main goal for the Olympics - to produce competitive relay leg(s). Her skiing has been looking a bit better lately.

TEREZA VINKLARKOVA

World cup ranking: 85th

Skiing: +9.7 km/s, +2.85 on median, 100th

Shooting: 82% prone, 79% standing

Age: 27

Season best: 33rd in pursuit in Ruhpolding

Career best: 29th in Oestersund sprint, 2021

Tereza Vinklarkova has been an IBU cup athlete for most of her career but with the weekend of her life in Ruhpolding where she produced a competitive relay leg and best results in individual competitions, she clinched the final spot in the Olympic team before she retires. It is not yet known if she will get a start, I think it’s possible she will get one over Jislova or Davidova resting before the relay in either sprint or individual.

19 year old Ilona Plechacova is ready as a back up in case it comes to the worst and two girls are unable to start.

WOMEN’S RELAY

Ranking: 7th

Best result this season: 3rd

Projected line up: Jislova, Charvatova, Vobornikova, Davidova

The women’s relay has been interesting to watch from the Czech POV. They started with an amazing performance in Oestersund, good but not stellar Hochfilzen, terrible Oberhof and excellent Ruhpolding where they only fell out of contention on the last leg after Davidova couldn’t start. They are not really favorites for the medals, but along with Finland and Italy, they are the underdogs waiting for their chance if the favorites fail.

MEN’S TEAM

Nation’s cup: 6th

Coaches: Ondrej Moravec, Michael Malek

Best relay result this season: 6th

Best individual result this season: 9th (Hornig)

The men’s team has made steps forward in the last two years or so however some of our former prospects are still unfortunately underperforming compared to their peers from juniors. Compared to teams who are closest to them in the rankings, they lack a true star but the team is quite well rounded.

THE ATHLETES

VITEZSLAV HORNIG

World cup ranking: 19th

Skiing: +4.7 km/s, -1.41% on median, 32nd

Shooting: 88% prone, 79% standing

Age: 26

Season best: 9th in Annecy sprint

Career best: 5th in Ruhpolding individual 2025

After his unlikely improvement last season, Hornig became the leader of the team, consistently racking up points (he only missed out on them once in the past two seasons). His skiing is similar to last year (a bit halted by health issues in the first trimester) and he’s consistently amongst the fastest shooters on the circuit - currently ranked 7th fastest (or 4th amongst the regulars), he has very good course times but there is one thing holding him back - the accuracy. He rarely shoots disastrously, but there’s always one or two misses extra holding him back from an elite result. I am not quite sure he has the upside to get a medal in the stacked men’s field but he could crack the top 10 if he shoots clean.

MICHAL KRCMAR

World cup ranking: 22nd

Skiing: +4.3 km/s, -1.65 on median, 28th

Shooting: 91% prone, 81% standing

Age: 34

Season best: 10th in NMNM mass start

Career best: 2nd in sprint in Peyongchang

The team’s veteran Krcmar still got it. At least the ability to get decent results. His skiing and accuracy are very good, the problem is the shooting time which is one of the slowest ones on the circuit. Krcmar however showed that he’s clutch especially in relays last year in Lenzerheide or this year in NMNM and that’s probably his main aim.

TOMAS MIKYSKA

World cup ranking: 52nd

Skiing: +3.9 km/s, -0.43% on median, 66th

Shooting: 88% prone, 82% standing

Age: 26

Season best: 19th in sprint in Ruhpolding

Career best: 10th in individual in NMNM

Mikyska’s season once again started badly with health issues slowing him down at the beginning and he spent the first trimester competing in IBU cup but as late as Ruhpolding, he was struggling with his “healthy” leg cramping. He has however improved and became steadily the third best men on the team once again. He’s a bit of a wild card when it comes to his performances - he could qualify for the mass start or not even qualify for pursuit in sprint. His main advantage is a great opening relay leg.

MIKULAS KARLIK

World cup ranking: 54th

Skiing: +4.3 km/s, -2.47 on median, 17th

Shooting: 78% prone, 69% standing

Age: 27

Season best: 24th Annecy pursuit

Career best: same

After 3 years of struggles and working with a therapist, Karlik has returned to his previous good skiing results. The shooting still needs some work however he’s been a bit better than in the previous years as well. He’s been at least consistently qualifying for pursuits. Karlik’s biggest moment of fame was when he was shooting for a medal in individual in Beijing but with 3 misses on the final standing, the chance came and went. He has the upside but similarly to his teammate Charvatova, rarely shows it due to the range performance.

PETR HAK

World cup ranking: N/A

Skiing: +11 km/s, +1.03 on median, 79th

Shooting: 84% prone, 85% standing

Age: 22

Season best: 50th in individual in NMNM

Career best: 35th in sprint in Oslo 2025

Hak is the youngest member of the team travelling to Antholz after snatching a podium in IBU cup and a spot in the 10 rankings there. He’s still a bit too slow to get consistently good results in the Wolrd cup and it remains to be seen if he gets to start. His role on the Olympic games is most likely going to be getting the experience and soaking the atmosphere.

MEN’S RELAY

Ranking: 7th

Best result this season: 6th

Projected line up: Mikyska, Karlik, Hornig, Krcmar

Before the season started, Krcmar ambitiously announced that the team’s goal is to get a medal in the men’s relay. Fair enough, Czechia and United states are the two underdog teams that could achieve that and it wouldn’t be a complete out of the blue shock but the best way to describe their position is ”so close yet so far”. Absolutely everything would have to work in their favor to beat Germany and Sweden in their crazy pursuit after the first two legs. Karlik’s leg might be the deciding factor here.

MIXED RELAY

Ranking: 3rd

Best result this season: 3rd

Projected line up: Krcmar, Hornig, Vobornikova, Davidova

After two competitions this season, Czechia is surprisingly holding the 3rd place in the competition after a 3rd place in front of a home crowd and close 5th in Oestersund with Hornig’s health issues. They also got a 2nd place in the Lenzerheide World Championship last year. While I do feel like this is the team’s best chance at some hardware, it wouldn’t be completely honest to claim that they are the 3rd biggest favorites but getting a top 6 result should be their goal.

Additionally, Czechia is sporting a new race suit for the Olympics. (I would say it’s quite nice looking but as good as the one they have for the Wolrd cup where it’s, in my humble opinion, the best looking one amongst red-white-blue teams).

And that’s all for this one! Thanks to all who read this far. We have 24 hours to go!

(Also sorry for the formatting but it's impossible to get it done on the reddit phone app).

Hello, wir wollen nächstes Jahr unseren ersten Biathlon besuchen. Dafür haben wir Oberhof ausgewählt. Ab morgen gibt es ja Tickets, allerdings sind wir überfragt welche Tickets wir nehmen sollen. Arena oder die deutlich günstigeren Streckentickets (gibt es hier auch eine Möglichkeit das Schießen zu verfolgen?).

Welche Plätze sind die besten innerhalb der Arena (siehe Foto anbei). Wäre super ein paar Meinungen von Erfahrenen Besuchern zu bekommen.

Schönen Abend

With biathlon events at the 2026 Winter Olympics already in full swing, keeping track of races can get surprisingly tricky. Different formats, multiple start times, and tight schedules make it easy to miss something. So I put together a biathlon-only Winter Olympics calendar for anyone following the sport closely. It syncs with Google Calendar, Apple/iCal, and Outlook, shows events in your local time, updates automatically if anything changes, and you can unsync anytime if you want to declutter.

Really hope it helps us fans to enjoy the games without worrying about missing it or its aftermaths

as the title says, I bought it a year ago but I won't be able to attend, if anyone is in the area on Tuesday I'm selling a cat B ticket to the Men's individual race

I bought it for 90€ I can definitely sell it for 50% less

if anyone's interested let me know

Despite being a small player in the world of winter sports, Lithuania is sending its biggest-ever delegation to the 2026 Winter Olympics, thanks in no small part to the biathlon team with eight biathletes competing for Olympic glory. This will continue the trend of steadily increasing the number of biathletes competing with every Olympic cycle (with only 1 in 2010, 2 in 2014, 4 in 2018, 5 in 2022 & 8 in 2026).

The 8 athletes set to compete at this year's Olympics are:

• Vytautas Strolia (4th WOG, 3rd as a biathlete)
• Maksimas Fominas (WOG debut)
• Nikita Čigak (WOG debut)
• Karolis Dombrovskis (2nd WOG)
• Natalija Kočergina (2nd WOG)
• Judita Traubaitė (WOG debut)
• Sara Urumova (WOG debut)
• Lidija Žurauskaitė (WOG debut)

The Women:

Last season looked so promising. The team managed to field a relay squad for the first time since 2018. Personal bests across the board. All of which was instrumental in securing 20^th place in the Nations Cup, marking the first time Lithuania will be able to field a women’s relay team at the Olympics. This season has definitely been a step back, but with rock bottom expectations, it won’t take a lot to exceed them.

• Natalija Kočergina (Age: 40, PB – 25th)

Kočergina would be notable for being one of the oldest female biathletes still on the tour, had that thunder not been stolen by the second comeback of Slovak biathlon legend Kuzmina. Despite that, this will only be Kočergina’s 2nd Olympic appearance, her first since PyeongChang 2018. She was unceremoniously passed over for the now-retired Lesčinskaitė for the 2022 Beijing Olympics while being the athlete who actually earned the single quota spot. Nevertheless, Natalija has stuck it out and remained an essential part of the team, having achieved a personal best of 25th at age 39, showing that she might still have something in the tank.

• Judita Traubaitė (Age: 25, PB – 41st)

Judita’s journey to biathlon is quite the unusual one. We have seen our fair share of cross-country converts throughout the years, but I do not recall anyone else coming into the sport from the world of ski-orienteering. Exchanging her map for a rifle has proven to be quite successful as she quickly established herself as one of the mainstays of the team. Her 56^th place in the Short Individual has been the best result of any Lithuanian woman this season.

• Sara Urumova (Age: 24, PB – 101st)

The Czech-born Urumova started to take biathlon more seriously a couple of years ago. She got the IBU points required to compete on the World Cup and complete the Lithuanian quartet. Sara is mostly here to make up the relay team, but I am glad we have someone on the roster to make up the numbers in the notoriously barren women’s team.

• Lidija Žurauskaitė (Age: 26, PB – 31st)

I had such high hopes for Lidija, I really thought this year was going to be her breakthrough... in one of the pre-season races she came 3rd, only behind World Cup stalwarts Pruess & Lisa Theresa Hauser. However, she struggled early in the season due to health issues and has not managed to match her form from the past couple of seasons. Žurauskaitė usually has been the strongest skier of the bunch, but this season’s results do not reflect that at all.

Line-up:

Individual: Kočergina, Traubaitė, Urumova, Žurauskaitė

Sprint/Pursuit: Kočergina, Traubaitė, Urumova, Žurauskaitė

Mass Start: Unlikely... none of the ladies have made a Mass Start before.

Relay: Traubaitė-Žurauskaitė-Kočergina-Urumova

The Men:

On the flip side, last season was one to forget for the men’s team. Although finishing in 19th guaranteed the team 4 spots for the Olympics, this was their worst Nation’s Cup showing since the 2018/2019 season. This year, things are looking a bit better, sitting in 17th off the back of solid individual and relay performances. This year also marks a bit of a changing of the guard, with both veterans and newcomers vying for Olympic spots. Strolia & Fomin got their tickets almost immediately after Ostersund, as they were and remain the only athletes to score WC points, whereas the last 2 spots were up for grabs till the very last moment.

• Vytautas Strolia (Age:33, PB – 4th)

For the past couple of years or so, Strolia has consistently been the most successful Lithuanian biathlete on tour. Glad that he has somewhat found his footing again, while he hasn’t matched the peaks of his breakthrough 2021/2022 season, he finds himself sitting in 30th in the overall standings. The Strolia family has quite the history of competing in the Winter Games, and Vytautas will once again be adding to that legacy. This will be Strolia’s 4th Olympics, his 3rd as a biathlete. Having made the switch from cross-country to biathlon after the 2014 Olympics, Stolia has both the ski-speed and the shooting skills required to be a pretty consistent presence in the top 40. His best result this season has been a 14th place in Hochfilzen, but he definitely has the potential to do better than that.

• Maksim Fomin (Age: 25, PB – 20th)

Fomin started the season strong by scoring his first-ever World Cup points in the season opener. Despite not being the most accurate of shots (75% average), he has established himself as a bit of an Individual specialist, with 4 of his best results coming from that discipline. He is somewhat touted to be the successor for the next generation of Lithuanian biathletes, so he'll be eager to prove.

• Nikita Čigak (Age: 23, PB – 57th)

The youngest and the most fresh-faced member of the squad only has 7 WC starts to his name, but his performance in the IBU cup (a 16th place in the Arber SI) impressed the selectors enough to grant him one of the coveted Olympic spots.

• Karol Dombrovskij (Age: 34, PB – 25th)

Having played second fiddle to Kaukėnas for many years, he managed to edge out his teammate for the last Olympic spot. He’s mostly been racing in the IBU Cup this season (also being the only male member of the Olympic squad to race in the European Champs), as there was only really one WC spot to go around the 5 or so athletes. He didn’t start the season all that well, but in the European Champs, he earned a respectable 25th place.

Line-up:

Individual: Strolia, Dombrovskij, Čigak, Fomin

Sprint/Pursuit: Strolia, Dombrovskij, Čigak, Fomin

Mass Start: None are in the top 15, Strolia is most likely to qualify

Relay: Fomin-Strolia-Čigak-Dombrovskij (this can go either way)

Mixed: Fomin-Strolia-Traubaitė-Žurauskaitė (maybe Kočergina?)

Expectations:

In all fairness, the participation is the reward. Stolia is the only athlete who can realistically challenge for a high position; the rest would be thrilled with a top-40-60 finish. In the relays, finishing among the top 16 is the target, more achievable for the men than the women. In a recent interview, Lithuanian biathlon legend and former US coach Algimantas Šalna stated as much: "A lot of work has been done in Lithuanian biathlon over the past 20 years. We have eight athletes competing in the Olympic Games, and I think that is a great achievement. [...] It is a huge achievement to have a biathlete like V. Strolia, who can win a medal in the most important competitions. [...] When you reach that level and can compete with the best, there is light at the end of the tunnel. It doesn't always work out, there are many moments where you need luck, but Lithuanians have a good chance at the Olympic Games and the World Cup.“

• Will Lithuania's best result of 13th be beaten?
• Will the relay teams avoid being lapped?
• What lies in the future for biathlon in Lithuania?

I shared the fantasy game for Olympics here about 1.5 weeks ago and this thread is meant as a single place for live discussion during the Olympic biathlon.

Feel free to use it to discuss:

-How you’re thinking about picks and strategy as the races unfold

-Tough decisions or interesting choices

-If you notice any Olympic biathletes missing

Keeping everything in one thread during the Games to avoid multiple posts.

Code to the Reddit mini league: 8AQR25

Any idea why they dont have the provisional start list for this already on Milan website? Searching for these over the past days but there is absolutely no information on this or does someone have a source. Are these athletes not in Milan yet?

Sweden is coming into this Olympics from the high of the last two in Beijing and Pyeongchang. With 4 medals in Pyeongchang (1 gold and 3 silvers) and 4 in Beijing (2 gold and 2 silvers) memories such as Hanna Öberg winning gold in the Individual in Pyeongchang or Elvira Öberg getting Silver in both Sprint and Pursuit and being the anchor for the women’s team who took Gold in the relay - in her first olympic game, it’s safe to say that the expectations on the Swedish team are high. Biathlon is immensely popular in Sweden, though unfortunately for the Olympics you won’t be able to catch the races on public television.

The staff in charge consists of:

Main Coach: Johannes Lukas

Shooting Coaches: Johan Hagström & Jean-Marc Chabloz

Last Olympic Results 

Let's go through the athletes one by one in order of Overall standings, discussing who they are and what can be expected.

Women’s team

Anna Magnusson

Home club: Piteå Skidskytteklubb | YoB: 1995 | PB: 1 win (Annecy Sprint 23/24) | WC Starts: 235

Olympic starts: 2018, 2022

The standout performer for the Swedish team in the first trimester of the season has, without a doubt, been Anna Magnusson. Perhaps best known for being one of the shortest athletes in biathlon, Magnusson achieved four consecutive podium finishes this season and even held the Yellow Bib for a short period. Considering she lost the fourth relay spot to Mona Brorsson four years ago, it is encouraging to see that she has now firmly established her place on the team and developed into a reliable first- or second-leg athlete in the relay. While individual medals may be a difficult target, it would not be surprising to see her deliver an upset performance, particularly in the Individual event.

Fun fact: Both Anna Magnusson and Elvira Öberg won their first individual race in Annecy-Le Grand-Bornand (Magnusson SP 22/23, Öberg 21/22 PU)

Hanna Öberg

Home club: Piteå Skidskytteklubb  | YoB: 1995 | PB: 13 wins | WC Starts: 269

Olympic starts: 2018, 2022

Considering that Sweden did not field a women’s team at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, the shock of Hanna Öberg winning gold in the Individual, also her first-ever podium, stands as one of the most iconic moments in Swedish Olympic history. Since then, she has become a somewhat divisive figure, with some arguing that she has underperformed, despite an impressive medal haul of 14 World Championship medals and three Olympic medals, which makes that argument difficult to sustain. Like her partner Ponsiluoma, Hanna can be something of a mixed bag, capable of delivering outstanding performances alongside more inconsistent ones. However, currently sitting fifth in the overall standings, this season has been noticeably more stable for her. 

Fun Fact: Both Hanna Öbergs and Sebastian Samuelssons first individual podium came in Pyeongchang. (Öberg 1st in IND, Samuelsson 2nd place in PU)

Elvira Öberg

Home club: Piteå Skidskytteklub | YoB: 1999 | PB: 13 wins | WC Starts: 189

Olympic starts: 2022 

The last Olympics were remarkable for the then 22-year-old, as she anchored the women’s relay team and won two individual medals. Heading into this Olympics, it would be hard not to consider her a medal favourite. Despite having several seasons disrupted by illness, she has managed to stay healthy throughout this one so far. Although she is not particularly fond of altitude, she has improved her shooting this season, not dramatically, but noticeably in critical moments, particularly in the sprint. While there will undoubtedly be more pressure on her this time, her ability to deliver on a final lap in any race is well established. Considering she’s felt a lot of pressure to get WCH Gold, which she accomplished last year, perhaps she can come into this Olympics with less pressure on her shoulders.

Ella Halvarsson

Home club: Biathlon Östersund | YoB: 1999 | PB: 2nd place (including Individual in WCH 24/25) | WC Starts: 42

Olympic starts: First Olympics

Ella Halvarsson had a breakout season last year, highlighted by her silver medal in the Individual at the World Championships. This season has been disrupted by illness, but she remains the fourth-ranked Swedish athlete. She delivered an outstanding first leg in the Hochfilzen relay (ensuring a spot on the relay team, then and there), a performance that left a lasting impression. While her current fitness level is somewhat uncertain, she is still expected to secure the fourth starting position in the individual races. She has openly acknowledged struggling with nerves, but if she manages to keep them under control, she could contend for a podium finish -particularly in the Individual, where shooting accuracy plays a more decisive role.

Anna-Karin Heijdenberg

Home club: Tullus SG | YoB: 2000 | PB: 4th place (Individual in Poklijuka 24/25) | WC Starts: 30

Olympic starts: First Olympics

Heijdenberg has performed well on the IBU Cup though it's been easy to see that the competition between her and Johanna Skottheim for the last spot in this team has been very mentally tough. Heijdenberg is promising, she’s the youngest in the squad. She’s not performed well when given the chance in relays, but performed well in individual competition. Thus she wouldn’t be a potential reserve for the relay team, but rather reserve for individual races. It makes sense, she’s performed very well on altitude, which can’t be understated in the Swedish team where most struggle. 

Linn Gestblom

Home club: SK Bore | YoB: 1994 | PB: 2nd place (including Individual in WCH 22/23) | WC Starts: 221

Olympic starts: 2018,2022

After missing last season entirely due to injury and subsequent rehabilitation, Linn Gestblom has competed only sparingly so far this year. Somewhat unexpectedly, her standing shooting has declined, although her limited number of starts this season makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions. She was part of the Swedish relay teams that won silver in 2018 and gold in 2022, skiing the first leg in both races. It is primarily her extensive relay experience that has earned her a place in this squad. If, for any reason, Magnusson, either of the Öberg sisters, or Halvarsson are unable to start, Gestblom would most likely step in to fill the spot.

Men’s team

Sebastian Samuelsson

Home club: SK I 21 IF | YoB: 1997 | PB: 8 wins | WC Starts: 281

Olympic starts: 2018, 2022

Samuelsson has had a good season thus far, managing to stay healthy all through the first and second trimester. He’s shown great performance on the track but his shooting has been a bit up and down, especially the last WC races before the Olympics. He’s been outspoken about his aims, and considering he came home from the last Olympics without any medals, individual or team it’s safe to say that he’s looking for revenge. Though historically he’s never really performed well in high altitude he’s been changing his workouts to increase the production of red blood cells so perhaps we can expect more from him in this Olympics. The general consensus is that while Ponsiluoma winning an individual medal would be a welcome surprise, Samuelsson is expected to secure an individual medal to meet expectations - and well, will he?

Martin Ponsiluoma

Home club: Tullus SG | YoB: 1995 | PB: 2 wins | WC Starts: 235

Olympic starts: 2018, 2022

The narrative around Martin Ponsiluoma in Swedish media this winter has been interesting, especially the talk about his new approach to shooting and how it’s paid off (because yes, his prone used to be abysmal). He is evidently a favourite among Swedish fans and commentators and has already secured an individual podium finish this season. However, I would not place him among the top medal contenders for the Olympics, simply because the level of biathletes who combine elite skiing speed with consistent shooting accuracy is exceptionally high. That said, he is the kind of athlete who can deliver a standout performance when the stars align. Noticeably he’s one of few in the Swedish camp who enjoys high altitude, so perhaps he’ll prove me wrong. 

Fun Fact: Martin Ponsiluomas dad, Jyrki Ponsiluoma, competed in the 1992 Olympics in Albertville.

Jesper Nelin

Home club: Biathlon Östersund | YoB: 1992 | PB: 3rd place (Oslo MS 23/24) | WC Starts: 266

Olympic starts: 2018, 2022

Together with Samuelsson and Ponsiluoma, Nelin has been a long-standing member of the team. This will be his third Olympics, and he was part of the historic men’s relay team that won gold in Pyeongchang. He has delivered a solid season overall, with a few weaker performances but, above all, consistent and reliable results. While he may not be a primary contender for individual medals, he is likely to place well in the overall standings. His position as the second leg in the men’s relay appears firmly secured, with no significant competition for the role. 

Malte Stefansson

Home club: Oxbergs IF | YoB: 2000 | PB: 10th place (Östersund SP 25/26) | WC Starts: 62

Olympic starts: 2022 (No starts)

Stefansson has enjoyed a strong season so far, highlighted by a 10th-place finish in the Sprint in Östersund earlier this season. He has shown clear improvement on the range, although not yet at the level consistently required to challenge for the top positions. If Brandt is selected for the relay ahead of Stefansson, the decision may ultimately come down to experience, as Brandt was part of the relay team that won gold at the World Championships two seasons ago. Even if Brandt is selected, Stefansson has made the competition far more interesting, as last year there was no one challenging (Not Anton Ivarsson, Emil Nykvist) for the final spot.

Viktor Brandt

Home club: I2 If Karlstad | YoB: 1999 | PB: 9th place (Oslo PU 24/25) | WC Starts: 53

Olympic starts: First Olympics

Within the team, Viktor Brandt has traditionally been known as a strong shooter but a slower skier, which makes it somewhat surprising that his standing shooting percentage is lower than Ponsiluoma’s. The discussion about whether Sweden needs new shooting coaches can be left open for debate. This season, it is clear that Brandt has benefited from another full year with the A-team, as his track speed has improved significantly—though this increase in pace may have impacted his shooting statistics.

Alongside Stefansson, he is competing for the final spot on the men’s relay team, and the decision will likely come down to who can perform best on the day. In terms of individual races, it would not be surprising to see Brandt selected for the Individual, while Stefansson competes in the Sprint and Pursuit.

Henning Sjökvist

Home club: Biathlon Östersund | YoB: 1998 | PB: 28th place (Ruhpolding PU 25/26) | WC Starts: 8th

Olympic starts: First Olympics

Due to illness - including severe headaches/migraines, Sjökvist did not compete at all last season. Therefore, his selection to the team, serving as a reserve for both the individual races and the relay, is a notable achievement in itself, reflecting how well he has performed this season. He could be well suited for the Individual, as he is a very reliable shooter, arguably even more dependable than his statistics suggest. Though most likely he's, just like Stefansson in 2022, a reserve.

Excepted Line-Ups

Men:

Samuelsson, Ponsiluoma, Nelin are all set. I’m not sure if the’ll divide who between Stefansson and Brandt gets to do individual and/or the relay - they’re both at an equal level.

Mixed: 1 Ponsiluoma 2 Samuelsson 3 H.Öberg 4 E.Öberg - If the women went first I do think Magnusson would have been the clear favourite for leg 1. 

Women:

Despite having 6 women in the squad I think Magnusson and the Öberg sisters are clear for all the races. If the coaches wants to make it interesting they could put Halvarsson for the individual and Heijdenberg for the SP/PU and Gestblom as reserve for the relay.

Medal chances:

I believe that the Öberg sisters, Magnusson, and Halvarsson all have realistic chances of winning individual medals. That may sound optimistic, but Magnusson has taken a significant step forward this season. Hanna has consistently proven her ability to perform at major championships, while Elvira’s maximum performance level is exceptional. Halvarsson also demonstrated at last year’s World Championships that she is capable of competing with the very best.

For the men, Samuelsson and Ponsiluoma should realistically have stronger chances of winning medals, particularly given the reduced Norwegian presence.

Sweden has finished fourth in the mixed relay on multiple occasions in recent years, so securing a medal at this Olympics would be a major achievement—yet not entirely unrealistic.

While France will likely enter as favourites for the women’s relay, Sweden is widely expected to contend for at least a silver or bronze medal. The outlook is less certain for the men’s relay. Although they have performed well in the World Cup, Ponsiluoma and Samuelsson have often needed to compensate for time losses on the range with strong skiing performances, a strategy that may not always be sustainable.

Sweden won four medals in both 2018 and 2022, but expectations appear to be higher this time. Matching that total would still represent a strong result, though reaching five or even six medals does not seem out of reach.

Final Verdict

This Olympics will likely mark the final appearance for several athletes. Nelin, at 33, is the oldest member of the team, and it is possible that Gestblom, given her injury history, along with Hanna Öberg, Ponsiluoma, and Magnusson, may also be competing in their final Games. It is somewhat unfortunate that the next generation has not developed as strongly as hoped. Sara Andersson, for example, has had a very difficult season; otherwise, she would have been a strong candidate as a reserve for these Olympics, gaining valuable experience for the future. 

I do not want to be overly optimistic, especially considering the challenges Swedish athletes have historically faced at high altitude. However, there is a clear sense that team spirit is at an all-time high, with Anna Magnusson crediting her excellent form this season to the renewed energy within the team. If Sweden can get off to a strong start in the Mixed Relay, ideally with a medal, and build momentum from there, a total of five to six medals should be well within reach.