PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Sebastian Samuelsson blames his fiasco in the WC premiere on loose screws.
Norwegian icon Ole Einar Björndalen doesn’t buy that at all – and launches his own theory.
– He must have been exposed to sabotage, says the Norwegian to Norwegian TV2.
It was a nightmare start to the Biathlon World Cup for the Swedish part and above all for Sebastian Samuelsson. Three penalty rounds in the relay ruined Sweden’s chances for a medal and after the race the Swede was completely saddened and burst into tears.
Samuelsson’s miss
After the shooting fiasco, Samuelsson and the Swedish national biathlon team discovered that he had loose screws on the stock of the rifle. And that was the reason why the 25-year-old failed completely on the shooting range.
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Both SVT’s expert Bjorn Ferry and Radiosport’s expert Uschi Disl calls the loose screws a junior miss and accuses Samuelsson that it is his own fault. As it is his responsibility to keep track of the rifle.
– It is a scandal. An absolute rookie mistake. You have to tighten or at least check that all the screws are tight before each competition, says Disl with nine WC gold medals to his credit.
READ MORE: The Swedish expert’s harsh criticism after the giant miss – now accuses Sebastian Samuelsson: “It’s a scandal”
“A sabotage”
Now the next expert and former big star enters the debate and it’s Norwegian Ole Einar Björndalen who do not at all buy the Swede’s explanation about the weapon. The Norwegian explains that the screws on the log are so incredibly small and well hidden that they have to be screwed in with a special tool.
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Therefore, there is very little chance of them dropping or coming loose.
– So if Samuelsson’s explanation is to be true, he must almost have been exposed to sabotage, but I hardly think so. Besides, the weapon is not unattended, so no one can just take it. But it is unimaginable that this happens in a WC, says Björndalen to the Norwegian television channel TV2.
READ MORE: SVT expert Björn Ferry’s clear criticism after the great World Cup confusion – advice to Sweden: “Terribly embarrassing”
Sebastian Samuelsson gets a chance for revenge already on Saturday when the men’s sprint race is on the WC schedule. Then the screws will probably be really tight.
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