Sweden Takes Third in Tense Oberhof Biathlon Relay Amid French Shooting Controversy

At the thrilling 2026 men's biathlon relay in Oberhof, Sweden secured a hard-fought third place behind Norway, who won the race, and France in second place. The Swedish team, led by Sebastian Samuelsson on the final leg, battled fiercely in close competition involving several top nations.

Jesper Nelin set a strong foundation with a flawless opening leg, establishing Sweden in a competitive position. Malte Stefansson managed to avoid penalty laps despite missing four shots, while Martin Ponsiluoma overcame three misses in prone shooting with perfect standing accuracy, propelling Sweden toward the front.

Sebastian Samuelsson faced significant challenges shooting prone, missing three shots, but his remarkable recovery during standing shooting kept Sweden in contention. He ultimately created a margin against Italy's Tommaso Giacomel and Germany's David Zobel to secure the bronze, finishing just 3.8 seconds behind Norway’s Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen. Samuelsson reflected on the race’s unpredictability, noting many had expected Norway to take victory but emphasized the fierce competition.

However, the race was overshadowed by controversy surrounding the French team. Biathlon expert Björn Ferry accused France’s Emilien Jacquelin of a shooting violation, stating Jacquelin did not actually fire all eight required shots in his leg as dictated by the rules. TV footage appeared to show the fifth shot was discarded, meaning only seven shots were fired. Despite this, no official protest was lodged within the 15-minute window post-race, which has prevented any formal review. Ferry criticized the jury for not discussing the possible infraction, emphasizing the necessity of enforcing shooting regulations to uphold fairness and safety.

Ferry expressed disappointment, stating, "This relay should have been won by Sweden," and lamented the lack of consequences despite the apparent breach of rules by France.

Ultimately, Norway claimed first place with a time of 80:29.0, followed closely by France (+0:02.0) and Sweden (+0:03.0). The Swedish team's overall twelve missed shots, including Samuelsson’s struggles, were mitigated by their successful use of spare rounds, avoiding penalty laps that could have cost them the podium.

As the Oberhof relay concludes, Sweden's performance was commendable but tinged with frustration due to the unresolved controversy that could have altered medal standings.