27-year-old Sivert Guttorm Bakken was found dead on Christmas Eve.
Sivert Bakken photographed last December in Austria. PDO
Norwegian biathlete Sivert Guttorm Bakken the sudden death has shocked the sporting community at large.
27-year-old Bakken was found dead in his hotel room in Passo Lavazè in northern Italy on Tuesday, December 23.
The cause of death is not yet known, and no more detailed explanation of the course of the case has been made public.
However, information about the initial moments of the events has leaked through the Italian media.
Italian magazine Gazzetta dello Sport according to Bakken’s teammates became concerned when he did not show up for the hotel breakfast at the appointed time. When nothing was heard from the athlete, part of the team went to check his room and made a shocking discovery.
Bakken was in the Trentino region with the Norwegian national team for a training camp and Christmas break.
Memorial service in Lillehammer
Bakken’s death has deeply affected the Norwegian biathlon community. On Tuesday evening, a memorial service was organized in his hometown of Lillehammer, in which a Norwegian newspaper participated Dagbladet around a hundred people at short notice.
– With short notice, we achieved a wonderful number of participants. People came together, sat side by side and comforted each other. Many were very sad, said Lillehammer’s rabbi Ann Cathrin Opsann Tomten for Dagbladet.
Tomten spent several hours with the Bakken family on Tuesday.
– It is extremely difficult for them. This came completely without warning, like a bolt from a clear sky. They are in shock, the priest described.
Competed two days before his death
Bakken was still competing in the World Cup just two days before his death. He finished 20th in the 15 km mass start race.
The brightest moment of the Norwegian’s career came in the 2021–22 season, when he won the Holmenkollen World Cup mass start. In total, Bakken achieved four World Cup victories in his career, three of which came in relay races.
Bakken had to stay away from biathlon courses for a long time due to health problems. The talent at the peak of his career experienced a hard knock in the spring of 2022 when he suffered a heart attack.
He had previously undergone heart surgery due to atrial fibrillation, but the problems returned and forced his sports career to take a break.
After almost two years, Bakken returned to the top level in the Norwegian men’s national team.
Throughout his career, Bakken represented the club Vingrom IL and was one of the most promising names in Norwegian biathlon for the upcoming Olympic season.