Sweden’s biathlon men had a disaster relay.
Now superstar Johannes Thingnes Bö sprinkles salt in the wounds.
– Just as I knew, he says, and also hands out a big boot to Sebastian Samuelsson.
Sweden has generally had a brilliant start to the biathlon season. In the first individual competitions of the year, Martin Ponsiluoma won on the men’s side, and on the women’s side, his partner, Hanna Öberg, won after convincing enormously.
The fit in advance
Sebastian Samuelsson also showed that he was in strong shape, and there were high hopes for the Swedish men’s team when the year’s first World Cup relay got underway on Wednesday. But it was a real fiasco. Sweden lost enormously already in the first leg, and was never close to threatening the top nations. Sweden finished tenth, which is clearly a serious miscalculation. Especially with what Sebastian Samuelsson said before the race in mind.
Samuelsson was confident in advance, and especially considering that he would have to go the final stretch against the Norwegian Johannes Thingnes Bö. Samuelsson told TV2 that Bö “would get a beating”, and it did not go unnoticed by the Norwegian camp. Norway won the relay, and they were not slow to hit back at Samuelsson afterwards.
READ MORE: The great dissatisfaction of the rivals after Frida Karlsson’s success in the World Cup – hard words: “It’s stupid”
The mockery of Sweden
Johannes Thingnes Bö himself, who made an incomparable final stretch, believes that Samuelsson’s words were used as ignition fluid.
– You think that he is really on the hook, and that made me wake up a little more myself. I thought that… it might work for him, that he believes in himself. Then I also have to believe in myself and my plan. Maybe it was him who made me extra sharp today, he says.
Thingnes Bö also believes that it is not exactly the first time that Sweden has gone too far in advance, only to then not deliver.
– It was exactly as I knew. Sweden are equally offensive every time. Regardless of the fact that there is zero realism in it, they are offensive and go for gold. That is perhaps why things are going well for them, he says.
READ MORE: The Swedish display in the relay – the ladies win by far after the Öberg sisters’ show: “Wow so strong”