Philip Lindkvist-Flötten was one of the outstanding biathletes at the 2026 Junior World Championships. A circumstance for which the 19-year-old Swede was rewarded with a start at the World Cup finals in Oslo. In the sprint, the youngster didn’t get past 68th place after three mistakes, but Lindkvist-Flötten’s talent is undisputed. The youngster could have also started for Norway, but consciously chose Sweden. In this case, his coach now chooses words that can certainly be understood as a warning in Norway.
“It felt right. I don’t have anything more to say about it,” explained biathlon talent Philip Lindkvist-Flötten from “NRK”, when asked why he decided to compete for Sweden. This decision will apply for the rest of his career. The youngster grew up in Norway, but his mother is Swedish.
Sweden’s national coach Johannes Lukas highlighted the importance of the decision to the Norwegian TV broadcaster and added that he believes the Norwegians could lose even more talent.
Side swipe from Norway
“You should ask yourself why someone would run for Sweden and not Norway. There are a lot of people with Swedish roots and they will see how well we have worked together in the last few years,” explained Lukas and added warningly: “Philip consciously decided to run for Sweden and I think there will be more people who would rather run for Sweden than Norway.”
In Sweden, people are “proud” of being attractive enough to attract top talent into their ranks.
Meanwhile, the Norwegian team takes a small swipe. “The Swedes may need it more than we do,” teased Norwegian ski hunter Isak Leknes Frey, who also believes Lindkvist-Flötten’s choice could be a “brilliant move.”
