Latvia Finishes 4th in Biathlon World Cup Relay – Norway Wins Gold
Östersund, Sweden – Norway’s men’s biathlon team dominated the relay event at the World Cup in Östersund on Saturday, finishing nearly three and a half minutes ahead of their closest competitors. The Norwegian quartet of Johannes Dale-Skiedahl, Johan Olav Botn, Sturla Holm Lægreid, and Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen completed the distance in 1 hour, 13 minutes, and 30.7 seconds, utilizing only seven spare rounds.
France secured second place with six spare rounds, trailing the Norwegians by a mere 19.1 seconds. Sweden rounded out the podium, finishing 48.1 seconds behind Norway after completing one penalty lap and using ten spare rounds.
The Latvian team, comprised of Andrejs Rastorgujevs, Renārs Birkentāls, Edgars Mise, and Aleksandrs Patrijuks, faced a more challenging race, incurring two penalty laps and utilizing 14 spare rounds, ultimately finishing 3 minutes, and 17.1 seconds behind the victorious Norwegian team. A total of 22 teams started the event, with 21 successfully completing the course.
This Norwegian victory builds on a season of strong performances and solidifies their position as a leading force in men’s biathlon. The team’s efficiency in shooting – using only seven spare rounds – was a key factor in their commanding win. The relatively low number of spare rounds used by the top three teams highlights the high level of accuracy displayed throughout the competition.
The 2025-26 Biathlon World Cup season, the 49th for men and 44th for women, is underway, with Östersund marking the opening stage. The season is scheduled to culminate on , in Oslo Holmenkollen, Norway. A significant event within the season will be the biathlon competitions held in Antholz-Anterselva, Italy, as part of the Winter Olympics. However, results from the Olympic events will not contribute to the World Cup standings.
The current season follows a format of nine to ten meetings, with events typically spanning from Wednesday through Sunday, excluding holidays and a period leading up to major championships. Relay competitions are held four to six times throughout the season. Historically, World Championships and Winter Olympics results were included in the World Cup standings, but this practice has changed; the 2014 Winter Olympics were the last to award World Cup points.
The overall athlete with the highest total score across all disciplines earns the prestigious Big Crystal Globe trophy, while Small Crystal Globe trophies are awarded to the top performer in each individual discipline. This structure allows for athletes to excel in specific areas while also competing for the overall championship.
Looking ahead, the World Cup stage in Kontiolahti will be followed by further competitions in Otepää and Holmenkollen. Sunday’s schedule in Östersund includes a 4×6 kilometer team relay for women and a 15-kilometer mass start race for men, promising further exciting competition.
The men’s sprint in Annecy–Le Grand-Bornand earlier in the season was noted as exceptionally close, with the top six athletes finishing within less than nine seconds of each other, demonstrating the increasingly competitive nature of the sport. The biathlon community also recently mourned the loss of 27-year-old Norwegian biathlete Sivert Guttorm Bakken, who passed away during a training camp in Italy on . He was ranked 13th in the overall standings at the time of his death and was posthumously included on the start list with bib number 1 for the sprint in Oberhof as a tribute.
Sturla Holm Lægreid of Norway and Franziska Preuß of Germany entered the 2025-26 season as the reigning champions, setting a high bar for competitors throughout the World Cup circuit. The season promises to be a compelling showcase of skill, endurance, and precision as biathletes vie for both individual discipline titles and the coveted overall Crystal Globes.