Olympic champion in 64th place
Biathlon star in mourning: “I was completely lost”
01/11/2026 – 4:56 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
The loss of his teammate hits Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen hard. The victory in the relay on Sunday was all the more important.
Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen raised his right arm towards the sky as he crossed the finish line in Oberhof. The Norwegian also looked upwards. First place in the biathlon relay had a special meaning for the Scandinavians. The shock following the death of Sivert Guttorm Bakken shortly before Christmas is still deep.
“This is the most important victory and the most important relay we have ever run,” Christiansen told Norwegian TV station NRK after the race. “I can’t describe how stressful the last few weeks have been.” Despite two penalties and a total of seven spares, the quartet of Christiansen, Uldal, Dale-Skjevdal and Frey ended up in first place.
For Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen, the days in Oberhof were extremely emotional. There was a memorial service before the sprint on Thursday. “That was terribly sad. And it took a lot of energy. I was completely lost on Thursday,” the 33-year-old remembered. “My body was here in Oberhof, but my head wasn’t.” The result was 64th place for him. He missed the targets four times and had to go into the penalty loop once. Christiansen was miles away from his normal form.
It will probably take some time before he and his colleagues are emotionally more stable again. The accident also brought the team closer together. “I’ll never forget the experiences we’ve had together recently. I probably cried at almost every team meeting,” said Christiansen.
Nevertheless, he also emphasized that there was a lot of support from outside and from the association. “I received thousands of messages,” said the Norwegian.