Teller Report

The shooting occurred before the sprint on Friday

12/17/2023, 11:29:03 AM

Highlights: Sturla Holm Lägreid is stopped from today's mass start in Lenzerheide. The shooting occurred before the sprint on Friday. The Norwegian team explains why it took so long to inform about the incident. "We wanted to make a correct decision and then it took some time," says sports director Per Arne Botnan.Listen to expert Helena Ekholm talk about the event in the player below. The news that LäGreid, third in the overall World Cup, is stopped hit shockingly during the morning.

Sturla Holm Lägreid's fatal shot occurred on Friday before the sprint where he finished fourth. Yesterday Lägreid was third in the pursuit. Now, the Norwegian team explains why it took so long to inform about the incident. "We wanted to make a correct decision and then it took some time," Norwegian sports director Per Arne Botnan told SVT Sport.


The news that Lägreid, third in the overall World Cup, is stopped from today's mass start hit shockingly during the morning in Lenzerheide, but the fatal shot occurred even before the sprint on Friday.

"This happened just before the sprint and we didn't know anything until the afternoon after the race," says Norwegian sporting director Per Arne Bothnan, and the team was at a loss because they had not experienced a similar incident before and did not know how to handle the situation.

Find your way with Switzerland, Norway and IBU

There was a sprint with a fourth place on Friday and a chase start with a third place for Lägreid yesterday before the Norwegians told the IBU what had happened, where they wanted to be transparent and show a good example.

"We brought it up internally and asked ourselves what we should do and orient ourselves between Norwegian and Swiss legislation and the IBU regulations, and then it took some time. We wanted to make a correct decision and this was unknown to many, but now that it has happened, it is a reminder to all nations that we have to be very careful with things like this," says Botnan.

It is worth noting that Martin Ponsiluoma was fourth in yesterday's pursuit, placing behind Lägreid.

Listen to expert Helena Ekholm talk about the incident in the player below.

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Expert Helena Ekholm on Sturla Holm Lägreid's accidental shooting Photo: Per Frisell