Biathlon: Huge Drama in the Sprint - Sebastian Samuelsson Podium Finish

Biathlon: Huge Drama in the Sprint - Sebastian Samuelsson Podium Finish

Originally published in SVT Sport on December 19, 2024

Sebastian Samuelsson secured his second individual podium of the season by finishing third in the sprint at Le Grand Bornand. However, he found it hard to be happy for the Norwegian Martin Uldal, who secured his first victory in World Cup history.

Samuelsson, who missed one shot in total, chased Uldal, who shot perfectly during the race, finishing just 11 seconds behind him. "I'm very pleased with my race. I maintained a good pace throughout. Had I shot perfectly, I would have won, but I'm satisfied with this," said the Swedish star.

Uldal had to wait nervously at the finish line, hoping to secure his first World Cup win, as giant Johannes Thingnes Bö was only eight seconds behind at the start of the final lap. However, Bö couldn't catch up to Uldal, allowing him to celebrate his victory with a time of 23:13.5.

After the race, Samuelsson couldn't hide his disappointment toward the Norwegian competitor: "I hate Norway. It's fun for him, but I don't rejoice much with my Norwegian friends," he said. Meanwhile, Bö took second place, ahead of Samuelsson by a narrow margin, and responded enigmatically to Samuelsson's comments: "He would get a gift from me if he had finished after me today." Archive footage from the thrilling finish shows Uldal celebrating his first World Cup victory.