“It’s unfair”
Biathlon star criticizes booing fans
January 27, 2025 – 9:29 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
The Norwegian Tandrevold fell shortly before the finish in the biathlon relay in Antholz. Her competitor was booed – and a major sports figure spoke up.
Everything looked like a relay victory for the Norwegians in Antholz. Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold was the last runner in the lead, closely followed by Sweden’s Hanna Öberg. But shortly before the finish, the Norwegian lost her stride because the Swede’s stick got in her way and between her legs. Tandrevold crashed and was only able to secure second place.
Tandrevold was visibly sad and upset at the finish. Even when Öberg shook her hand, Tandrevold didn’t seem happy about it. Öberg said afterwards on Eurosport: “I’m so, so sorry for Ingrid. I feel really bad. I never wanted to intentionally bring her down. I didn’t want to win this way.”
Tandrevold told Norwegian public broadcaster “NRK” afterwards: “We get close and then I get a stick between my skis. I don’t even know who’s to blame.”
Öberg was partly booed at the finish and said to “NRK”: “I was booed a bit. That was the first time I experienced that at a competition. I think it was a bit sad and unfair.”
The channel’s expert and former dominator of the sport, Marte Olsbu Roiseland, explained the booing: “I think it’s very unsportsmanlike. I feel a little sorry for Hanna. It’s unfair because it happened in the heat of the moment and I can’t see that any mistakes were made.”
In the evening, Tandrevold posted a selfie with Öberg on Instagram. In this you can see them posing together in a great mood and beaming against the backdrop of Antholz. Both athletes wear their team uniforms while the snowy mountains and a large screen can be seen in the background. The Norwegian wrote that they had sorted everything out and could now hug again.
Fans were happy that both appeared together and praised both the Norwegian and the Swede for their achievements in the sport of biathlon.