Biathlon : “I feel a little responsible that we got silver and not gold”, regretted Johan-Olav Botn
Norway was aiming for gold in the men’s relay at the Olympic Games in Milan/Cortina on Tuesday, with the ambition of retaining its title. But the Scandinavians had to settle for silver, beaten by France by 9.8 seconds in Antholz (Italy). A medal that leaves a slightly bitter taste in the mouth for the Norwegians.
“I think the feelings are mixed. It’s a fantastic relay, beyond our expectations. But that little detail is missing,” explained Johannes Thingnes Boe, consultant for NRK.
And with good reason, Martin Uldal got the Norwegians off to a perfect start in the first relay. Despite a slight scare on the first downhill shot, where he had to use two picks, he managed to limit the damage and then completed an excellent relay. He finally handed over the baton alone in the lead, while France was a long way behind in 13th place, nearly 50 seconds behind.
Johan-Olav Botn was also in the lead going into the first prone shot of the second relay. Arriving alone on the shooting range with a lead of more than fifteen seconds over his closest pursuers, the Olympic individual champion nevertheless had a tricky time. Forced to use three pickaxe balls, he posted the slowest shooting time of the field, staying on the mat for 1 minute and 8 seconds, compared with just 22 seconds for Émilien Jacquelin and 27 seconds for Jesper Nelin.
“There are three very good relays, and one that stands out. I feel a bit responsible that we got silver and not gold,” said Johan-Olav Botn. It’s not satisfactory. There’s a big difference between the individual and the relay. In the individual, you’re only responsible for yourself, but in the relay, you’re running for the whole team. That’s what makes it more difficult,” he admits.
His team-mate Sturla Holm Lægreid was keen to offer his support. “I was in the same situation as Johan four years ago [1 lap penalty in Beijing]. That time, I was lucky enough to win gold. But we’re a team. We win together and we finish second together,” says the Norwegian.
In third relay, Sturla Holm Lægreid drove a perfect race, allowing Norway to close the gap on France and Sweden. Everything came down to the final relay. Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen, who was up against France’s Eric Perrot and Sweden’s Sebastian Samuelsson, put in a very good race but came up against the Peiserot.
“I had a blast! It was the perfect place to go all out on the last shot. I saw that Perrot had missed a few shots. After that, it was all or nothing. I believed in it. I really gave it my all, but it didn’t work out today”, declared Norway’s Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen.
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