World Championships in Biathlon: Sturla Holm Lægreid’s Relay Nightmare – 'He is a Mystery'

At the Biathlon World Championships, Norway’s relay team has experienced a nightmare performance over the past few years. In particular, Sturla Holm Lægreid, who has long been known for his strong shooting skills, is now struggling with his standing shooting – hitting just over half of his shots in relay events.

The article explains that while Lægreid is solid on the prone (lying) shooting with a 91% hit rate, his standing shooting percentage has dropped to 57% in championship relays. This poor performance has been a significant factor in Norway’s failure to repeat their former relay successes; it has been three years since the last championship relay gold at the Beijing Olympics and four years since a World Championship relay victory.

Despite these setbacks, Lægreid remains a fixture on the Norwegian team. When confronted with his shooting statistics, the 28‐year-old expresses confidence that he has found his pace and the calm needed for the crucial standing shooting leg. He admits that early aggressive tactics may have backfired, but he has since adjusted his approach.

French biathlete Émilien Jacquelin, one of Norway’s toughest competitors, bluntly describes Lægreid as a “mystery”. His French teammate Éric Perrot adds that the pressure inherent in relay events – where athletes compete not only for themselves but for the entire team – affects everyone’s performance.

The article also remarks that while the Norwegian men have been a shadow of their former selves in relays, the French team has dominated the relay events this season, winning all four World Cup relays. Even Johannes Thingnes Bø, a veteran on the Norwegian squad, points to France as the favorites for this season’s events.

Lægreid remains optimistic, stating, “I believe I pushed too hard in the early rounds to create a gap and shake off my competitors, which affected my standing shooting. Now I have managed to find my calm and I'm back at the level I usually perform at.”

The Norwegian relay is scheduled to compete later in the day, with the women’s relay starting at 12:05 and the men’s following at 15:05. Fans can follow the action on NRK1 or through the live studio coverage from Lenzerheide.