“It’s worth the risk”
Swedish biathlete leaves his team
Updated February 20, 2026 – 4:20 amReading time: 1 min.
In terms of sport, Sebastian Samuelsson hasn’t been going as well as he imagined. Now he is drawing conclusions.
Sebastian Samuelsson has left the Swedish biathlon team at the Winter Olympics and moved. “I think it’s worth taking the risk,” he told Swedish Radio Sporten. The 28-year-old is currently struggling with health problems: “Since Tuesday I have moved to a low altitude and hope that this will make recovery a little easier,” said Samuelsson.
So far the returns for the favored top biathlete have been meager. He only won bronze with the Swedish men’s relay, and he has not yet been able to win an individual medal. That’s not enough for third place in the overall World Cup. That’s why he thought about moving several times during the games. A few days before his last chance at precious metal, he has now decided on the “risky” consequence.
“It’s the first time I’ve tried it during a championship, but I think it’s worth the risk,” explained Samuelsson. His accommodation is now 15 minutes away from the other Swedish biathletes. The height difference is 500 meters.
On Friday (from 2:15 p.m.) the men’s mass start will take place in the final race of the 2026 Winter Olympics. It remains to be seen whether Samuelsson’s plan will work.