2026 Olympics : in biathlon, a special tribute to Sivert Guttorm Bakken in the individual event
A sign worth a thousand words. Just after crossing the line in the individual race, Norway’s Johan-Olav Botn raised his right arm, his index finger and his gaze to the sky. Everyone in the Olympic stadium in Antholz (Italy) understood the meaning of his gesture: a direct tribute to his compatriot Sivert Guttorm Bakken. On 23 December, it was he who discovered the lifeless body of his team-mate during a training camp in Lavazè (Italy). Seven weeks later, he won gold at the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan/Cortina, in Antholz (Italy) on Tuesday 10 February.
“I was convinced I’d be racing with Sivert”.
The memory of his team-mate and friend shone through in his words: “Sivert, we made it”, he was quick to shout to the camera in the finish area. Before explaining the meaning of his message on Eurosport: “The last loop was very emotional for me. I was convinced that I was racing with Sivert and that he was watching me. In the meantime, he had broken down in tears at the foot of the grandstand, letting out his emotions.
His shooting coach Siegfreid Mazet then put the event in context forEurosport : “We didn’t know how we were going to find him. He wasn’t with us for the first two World Cups in January.He went to Nove Mesto without us because he didn’t have enough competition[the usual World Cup squad skipped out to prepare]. With what the team went through at Christmas, the death of Sivert Bakken when they were together, we didn’t know how he was going to tackle these Games. Today, he was more than impressive. It’s a double victory: for the result but also for himself, for what he overcame in January. I don’t know if it’s fate that decides, but something has happened .
“One of the greatest achievements of Norwegian winter sports” according to Johannes Thingnes Boe
Johan-Olav Botn‘s fourth fastest ski time was perfect against the targets (20/20), and his mastery of the race was impressive. Second-placed Frenchman Éric Perrot was the first to congratulate him on France 2 : “Today, he was the best. I have a lot of respect for him: he deserves to win after his race today, after having been through some difficult times. Commenting on NRK, Johannes Thingnes Boe went even further: “None of us can imagine what he’s been through these last six weeks. What he has achieved today is one of the greatest feats ever seen in Norwegian winter sports.”
Tributes have been pouring in from his rivals. Also very close to Sivert Guttorm Bakken, Italy’s Tommaso Giacomel told TV2 that he was “proud of him”. Sweden’s Viktor Brandt also spoke toAftonbladet about the sporting aspect: “Very few people manage four full tanks in an entire career. Some manage it once or twice, others never. He did it at his first Olympic Games, after everything he’d been through. Not many people understand how difficult it is, especially with the pressure from outside.
Anything but an event for the 26-year-old Olympic champion, who had already achieved two 20/20s this season : “I didn’t have the best legs, so I had to be perfect on the shooting range. And that’s exactly what I did. I made sure every bullet hit the target. Impressive from start to finish.
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- Biathlon: Eric Perrot, third Frenchman on the individual podium at the Olympic Games
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- Biathlon: the medals table and the full list of winners at the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games
