Norway celebrated in the Men’s Relay; Team Finland earns a “hard‑fought fourth place”

Kontiolahti Biathlon World Cup

Norway claimed victory in Men’s 4 x 7.5 km Relay full of various twists and turns, finishing ahead of France and Sweden. The race was decided by anchor Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen, who shot clean in the standing stage.

France’s anchor, Quentin Fillon Maillet, who had been firmly in contention for the win until the final standing stage, had to use two spare rounds, allowing Norway to break away. At the finish, the gap was 19.1 seconds.

Alongside Christiansen, the Norwegian team included Johannes Dale-Skjevdal, Johan-Olav Smoerdal Botn, and Sturla Holm Laegreid. Norway also took the relay World Cup title. In total, Norway used seven spare rounds, while France used six.

Christiansen was eager to win the relay because France had won the Olympic Relay. The Men’s Relay in Kontiolahti was the last of its kind for Norway’s coach Siegfried Mazet, who will step down after this season.

“It was important to beat France today. Of course, I am never happy when an opponent misses; that’s biathlon and it happens to all of us. Luckily, I managed to keep calm on the last shooting.”

Finland finished fourth after a fine battle for podium. The team consisted of Tuomas Harjula, Tero Seppala, Arttu Heikkinen, and Olli Hiidensalo.

On the final leg, Hiidensalo fought for third place against Sweden’s Sebastian Samuelsson and missed the podium by only 5.1 seconds. Finland used six spare rounds but did not have to ski a single penalty loop.

“The opening leg went as it should. It was an almost perfect performance. We have to be very satisfied with the team’s effort,” said Tuomas Harjula.

“A great leg today. My shooting went really well. I enjoyed the loud support from the home crowd. It was fantastic to compete,” said Tero Seppala.

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Original text: Heidi Lehikoinen
English text: Hanna Sairanen