Sweden Rallies to Third and Fourth in Östersund Biathlon World Cup Relays Despite Early Setbacks

In the 2025 Biathlon World Cup season opener in Östersund, Sweden's men's and women's relay teams showed resilience after difficult starts, finishing third and fourth respectively. The men's team overcame a poor beginning caused by Viktor Brandt's shooting struggles, while the women's team battled into contention despite Johanna Skottheim's costly early penalties.

The men's relay was marked by challenging gusty winds affecting shooting accuracy. Brandt, tasked with the first leg, incurred three penalty laps during standing shooting due to missed targets, placing Sweden 19th and nearly two minutes behind leader Norway. "It was a nightmare, a huge disappointment," Brandt reflected on his performance, attributing his misses to the wind and nerves of competing at home. However, his teammates Jesper Nelin and Martin Ponsiluoma steadily improved Sweden's position. Anchoring the team, Sebastian Samuelsson delivered a fast final leg, bringing Sweden within 24.7 seconds of Norway's victory and securing a strong third-place finish overall. Norway, missing star Johannes Thingnes Bø, nonetheless claimed first place through Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen's composed recovery from an early mistake.

In the women's relay, Skottheim replaced the sick Elvira Öberg but suffered two penalty laps during the prone shooting on the first leg, finishing 17th and over a minute behind leaders. Despite this, Anna Magnusson and Ella Halvarsson solidly advanced Sweden’s standing, allowing Hanna Öberg to start the anchor leg in sixth place. Öberg's strong shooting and skiing saw the team finish fourth, just off the podium. The race winners were France, followed by Italy and the Czech Republic. Norway struggled significantly after Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold's shooting issues.

Both teams’ performances highlight Sweden's competitive depth and potential to contend in World Cup relays despite early individual mishaps. Samuelsson noted the men's podium finish "means a lot" and "gives us security knowing we can compete." In contrast, Brandt acknowledged the disappointment but remained hopeful for improvement. On the women's side, Skottheim noted her technical shooting was "good but just not good enough," underscoring fine margins in the sport.

The Östersund event set an intense tone for the season, with Sweden demonstrating resilience and promising form amid challenging conditions and fierce competition from Europe’s best biathletes.