All four of the Norwegian relay men have won individual medals in the championship ahead of Saturday’s relay and the Norwegian men’s runners have taken eight out of a total of nine individual medals on the men’s side. But the Norwegian men were unable to claim the favorite stamp. Anchorman Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen had to go through three penalty rounds on the last shooting and when Sweden’s Sebastian Samuelsson waited with a full house, the Swedes beat Norway for the gold. – What a nightmare, says news’s commentator Jann Post – This is completely wild. I had never imagined this, says TV 2 biathlon expert Ole Einar Bjørndalen. – Anything can happen in this sport here, but this is terrible when we lead by so much. I don’t wish him to get three penalty rounds there. It’s horrible, says Johannes Thingnes Bø to TV 2. Christiansen sprinted Norway to World Cup silver. – Removed WC nerves But it became dramatic already on the first stage. After two extra shots in prone shooting in the opening stage, Sturla Holm Lægreid avoided the penalty round in the first shooting, but standing up the 26-year-old was taken by her nerves at the WC stadium in Nove Mesto in front of 40,000 electric spectators. – I don’t quite know what’s going on. I feel that the flash has shrunk, that I shoot at horizontal flashes and then you become a bit defensive when I start to miss, says Lægreid to news. – There is a bit of extra pressure that it is the WC and not a normal relay. I obviously didn’t cope with it today, he continues. After three misses on the free kicks in the standings, Lægreid had to go into the penalty round. – That Norway’s best shooter has to be in the penalty round on the first leg is a small sensation, exclaimed news’s commentator Jann Post. Thus, the World Cup relay opened up and Norway changed somewhat unexpectedly in ninth place, 44 seconds behind the leaders Estonia, host nation Czech Republic and Kazakhstan after the first stage. Then Tarjei Bø persevered with a monster stage and Norway went back into the gold race on the second stage. – Different starting point than what I thought – It was a slightly different starting point than what I thought before the start, Bø admits to news. But Bø avoided the penalty round both lying down and standing up and got the lead over the competitors, before sending big brother Johannes Thingnes Bø into the lead. – I fought hard and it was a tough fight, continues elder brother Bø. – Now it looks bright. It is lucky that it is a team sport, so that when one fails the others can clean up. Tarjei has really done the job in two rounds and one shooting, so let’s hope he holds his own, says Lægreid to TV 2.
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– It’s horrible – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
