Sivert Guttorm Bakken was a well-liked and determined member of the Norwegian national team.
Sivert Guttorm Bakken is dead. PDO
On Tuesday evening, on the eve of Christmas, the global biathlon community received sad news when the information Sivert Guttorm Bakken the death became public. He was 27 years old when he died.
He was found dead in an Italian hotel. The cause of death is currently unknown.
Bakken competed in the World Cup just two days before his death. He finished 20th in the 15 km mass start race.
The best ranking of the man’s career in the World Cup was the top spot in the Holmenkollen mass start in the 2021–22 season.
The Norwegian represented Vingrom IL throughout his career.
Health problems
Bakken had to stay away from biathlon courses for a long time due to health problems.
The talent at the peak of his career suffered a severe blow 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.
– The inflammation came after the third corona vaccine. I realized something was wrong because my body was really bad, he recalled for NRK in the spring of 2024.
He got better but couldn’t handle the training. The top athlete couldn’t train full for two leaks.
The man set his goal in 2024 to compete in the Milan-Cortina Olympics next February.
Talent
Bakken was especially promising at a young age.
Norwegian biathlon great Johannes Bö described Bakken in his Instagram post as “one of the greatest talents in Norwegian history”.
There is substance in Bö’s words. Bakken reaped heaps of success and medals at a young age, and he rose to the top of biathlon at a relatively young age.
At the 2016 Youth Olympics, he won two Olympic golds and one silver.
Born in Lillehammer, Bakken was a well-liked and respected member of the Norwegian national team. He was an energetic and positive person, whose character and work ethic received praise, especially after he overcame his health problems.
Konkari praised Bakken in an interview with VG. Legend Be Einar Bjørndalen described the Bakken as “very patient”.