Godfather seriously injured
Court condemns biathlon ace for hunting offenses
28.08.2025 – 3:04 p.m.Reading time: 1 min.
Arttu Heikkinen seriously injured his godfather on a hunting trip. Now the biathlete has been convicted of its offense.
Arttu Heikkinen is one of the greatest young courses in Biathlon in Finnish. Now the 21-year-old was convicted by a court in Kainuu in northern Finn.
Last September, Heikkinen had targeted a hunting trip to a bird, but hit his godfather. This suffered injuries to the head and upper body and lost sight on one eye. The court classified the incident as serious bodily harm and hunting offenses and spoke of gross negligence.
The judgment now provides for a fine of 70 daily rates. In addition, Heikkinen must pay 6,800 euros in damages and the legal fees of his godfather. According to reports, this had originally requested 23,500 euros.
Heikkinen itself had declared the incident as an accident. He assumed that his godfather would go behind him, but he left the agreed route. According to the court, the biathlete violated his duty of care.
The situation in turn has no consequences for his sporting career. The Finnish biathlon association made it clear that Heikkinen was still part of the national team. The Junior European Champion of 2024 gave his World Cup debut in January of the same year and collected eight points last season. At the World Cup last February it was not enough for top positions in the individual or in the season.
The new biathlons season begins at the end of November. The first races take place in the Swedish Östersund.