Sweden Clinches Silver in Women's Biathlon Relay at 2026 Winter Olympics

The Swedish women's biathlon team triumphed with a silver medal in the relay event at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, marking their first medal of the Games and Sweden's 15th overall. The team, made up of Linn Gestblom, Anna Magnusson, Elvira Öberg, and Hanna Öberg, demonstrated resilience despite struggles during the race.

Linn Gestblom kicked off the relay with a strong first leg, setting a competitive pace. However, Anna Magnusson faced difficulties in her shooting round, missing four targets and undertaking a penalty lap—the third time in her senior career that she has done so. Johan Hagström, the shooting coach, noted a clear issue with Magnusson’s shooting position but praised her clean shooting in the second round, which allowed her to hand over to Elvira Öberg in sixth place.

Elvira Öberg performed well despite shooting slowly and maintained a clean shooting record. She handed the baton to her sister Hanna Öberg, who closed the race strongly, finishing with only two missed shots. Hanna’s excellent performance secured the silver medal for Sweden behind France, which dominated to take gold, finishing 51 seconds ahead. Norway rounded out the podium with bronze.

Elvira Öberg expressed pride in the team’s performance, stating, "Despite not having the perfect championship, we show that we are among the best." This silver medal continues Sweden's strong tradition in the women's biathlon relay, marking the country's third consecutive Olympic medal in this event following a silver in 2018 and gold in 2022. The medal also fulfills the Swedish Olympic Committee's target for the Games, highlighting the team's commitment and high performance on the international stage.

Sweden’s achievement underscores their status as a top contender in biathlon and adds to the nation’s impressive medal haul at the 2026 Winter Olympics.