Biathlon Star Reflects on a Troubling Incident

In December 2023, star biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid found himself in a distressing situation when he accidentally discharged a live round during a dry training session at his hotel. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the incident brought significant consequences for the athlete.

This scandal unfolded during the Biathlon World Cup in Lenzerheide. Laegreid mistakenly loaded a full magazine into his firearm and fired it inside his hotel room. Recently, the Swiss police imposed a fine on him, serving as a painful reminder of his grave error. In addition to this fine, he faced penalties from both the Norwegian biathlon association and the International Biathlon Union, and even underwent police questioning.

Laegreid revealed that the event still weighs heavily on his mind, remarking, "It's a terrible thing and something you don't want to experience. The positive side is that the entire biathlon community is now more aware of safety practices." Typically, biathletes use empty magazines for training, but in this instance, Laegreid unknowingly deviated from this protocol. As a result, he was disqualified from a mass start race.

In a heartfelt apology, he expressed, "I deeply regret this incident and apologize to the entire biathlon family, my teammates, and the hotel owner. This serves as a harsh reminder of the importance of safety routines." Although such incidents are rare in the sport, they are not without precedent; a similar event occurred with Andrea Henkel in 2009 during the World Championships in South Korea.