Former Latvian biathlon coach hit his athlete so hard that he lost the rest of the season. Now, Ole Einar Bjørndalen reacts with disbelief. “Terrible story,” rages the biathlon star after the violent episode during the World Championships.

Earlier this week, ProXCskiing.com reported that the Latvian coach Ilmārs Bricis has been suspended for severe violence against his athlete Andrejs Rastorgujevs. The incident shocks the Norwegian biathlon legend Ole Einar Bjørndalen.

Rastorgujevs had to receive medical attention after the attack, which happened ahead of the single mixed relay at the World Championships in Lenzerheide in February.

The biathlon star, who won silver in the mass start at last year’s World Championships, missed the entire rest of the World Cup season due to injuries he sustained, including fractures to his nose and a finger, as well as a badly injured shoulder.

See also: National team coach suspended after assaulting his athlete

Bjørndalen shocked

The incident shocks the Norwegian biathlon legend Ole Einar Bjørndalen, who reacts strongly. He heard about the incident from Rastorgujevs on the plane home from the World Championships last winter. He also knows the suspended coach from when they competed against each other.

“It’s a terrible story,” Bjørndalen tells TV2.

“Since Bricis has now been sentenced, I rely on that truth. I competed against Bricis, and I could never have imagined he had such a temper.”

Suspended for six months

Following the disclosure of the case, the International Biathlon Union’s (IBU) ethics committee investigated the matter. The independent committee, the Biathlon Integrity Unit (BIU), handles cases involving ethical issues such as unsportsmanlike conduct, doping, betting, and match-fixing.

This committee has now concluded the case against Ilmārs Bricis and decided to suspend the former national team coach for a period of six months. This means Bricis is banned from July 17, 2025, until January 18, 2026.

“If this had happened in Norway, the outcome would probably have been different. But there are different cultures in each country,” Bjørndalen says, and continues:

“If what Rastorguyevs told me is 100 percent true, then it sounds terrible.”

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