Norway couldn’t do anything about it, but Max Peter Bejmer managed to pass the Swedish second team and the Swiss Matthias Kyburz just before the finish and made sure it was Swedish on the podium on the last day of the Orienteering EC in Estonia.
Sweden fielded three teams in the relay, but could only get one medal. Only the best result per country counts in the EC.
So the fight to become the best Swedish team also became a fight to get a medal.
And it wasn’t the team with the best form on paper that was the best in the forest.
Dramatic ending
Instead, the second team took command on the first stretch through Henrik Johannesson, who switched the lead to Anton Johansson. Johansson forced the Norwegian team to drop in front of him. On the last stretch, Eskil Kinneberg kept the distance down to the chasers and was able to finish as gold medalist.
But behind him it became dramatic. The Swedish third team Max Peter Bejmer as last man made a smarter choice and was able to sprint home the silver 10 seconds ahead of Switzerland.
Together with Viktor Svensk and Isac von Krusenstierna, he took Sweden’s last medal during the championship.
Top first team
The second team finished fourth and the first team fifth.
The Swedish first team was topped with two recent gold medalists. But Albin Ridefelt, who won Saturday’s middle distance, had a bad day on the first leg, shifting first in 22nd place, two and a half minutes off the lead.
Martin Regborn, winner of Thursday’s long distance, then brought his team up to seventh place, but the time gap to leading Norway had grown to four minutes when he sent out experienced Gustav Bergman on the final stretch.