Too early on Saturday morning, changes were made to the German pairs relay team. Out went Philipp Nawrath, in came Justus Strelow. But it was not Nawrath who had to be replaced. It was Benedikt Doll on the mixed relay team, who was to run later on Saturday, who had a sore throat. So with that, Nawrath was moved to the mixed relay, while Strelow became the replacement on the pairs relay team. And these swaps and shifts created confusion. UNSURE: Strelow says they did not know if the exchange was legal. Photo: ANDERS WIKLUND / AFP Strelow says that he was told to leave at nine o’clock on Saturday morning. – We weren’t sure if it was legal, says Strelow to news. – Benedikt dropped out, and we changed everything. If our sports director says it’s the rules, and he’s been in the IBU before, then I trust him. That’s how it turned out, and that wasn’t the intention. We would have liked it if Benedikt was healthy. – May seem a little strange National team manager Per Arne Botnan tells news that they heard about it just before the relay. – It sounded a bit strange initially, says Botnan. – It may seem a little strange the way it is done, because then you can basically, purely tactically, make changes when you see what others have done. But of course, they kind of have to have someone who got sick. You must have a doctor’s note for that. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB – Did that make you wonder? – Yes, it did. That has never happened before as far as I can remember. It is not often that there has been a pairs relay and mixed on the same day either. But then it’s okay. Then we’ll know for next time, says Botnan. He believes the most natural thing would have been to put the reserve right in the position of the athlete who fell ill. He says that it will be a bit strange, but that there is nothing in the regulations to the effect that it is not a law and that they therefore just have to accept it. – How did you check it? – I asked someone from the IBU about the interpretation of the regulations there. Then he said that it says nothing that you are not allowed to take one out from the other relay team and put it in, says Botnan. – A bit too tough At the pairs relay itself on Saturday, the Swedes proved to be superior, after some communication back and forth between the Norwegian and Swedish camps. Hanna Öberg and Sebastian Samuelsson were able to cheer in front of the Norwegians. – It was just a little too tough, said Emil Hegle Svendsen in the news studio about the latest shooting. France’s Julia Simon and Fabien Claude were third. – We are very satisfied. Smiling from ear to ear. It won’t be a better start, or it could have been one place better, but we are very satisfied, says Lægreid to news. He was particularly pleased with his mate. – I am super impressed by what she achieves. She delivers as if she has run a mixed pairs relay many, many times before, says Lægreid. – I see her standing last with Hanna Öberg, an experienced runner on her home track, and shooting for victory. I thought that Juni is enjoying herself, now she is getting experience that she will live with for a long time. A desired situation Lægreid opened with a full house in the first shooting, but ended up several seconds behind the lead from the shooting. In the second shooting, the shot was also in all the blinkers for Lægreid. With extra shots, Arnekleiv also got through his first stage without penalty rounds and sent Lægreid out a scant six seconds behind the lead. Lægreid got through his third shooting with an extra shot, but then the Swedes took over the lead. Samuelsson shot flawlessly and went well in the groove, but Lægreid hung on, and was just over 17 seconds behind at the last switch. FULL HOUSE: Lægreid escaped the penalty rounds in the pairs relay. Photo: Anders Wiklund / AP Hanna Öberg thus got a solid starting point for her penultimate shooting. But with two misses and two extra shots, she gave Arnekleiv the opportunity to catch up. And from the penultimate shooting, the two Scandinavians came out almost the same. In the last shooting, the two came in equal, but there were several misses for Arnekleiv. Two extra shots were needed, while Öberg had one miss. – It’s a situation I want to put myself in, because this is what you have to train for. I think it went well, there was a bit of a miss on both of them, but it wasn’t because of nerves, it was a mistake that can happen in training too, says Arnekleiv. The Swede thus got the head start she needed, and went to the finish line to a delighted Samuelsson.
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Arnekleiv missed the last shooting – Swedish jubilation after “war of words” – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
