Sweden was one of the medal contenders in the biathlon mixed relay, but the Swedish medal hopes were extinguished already on the opening leg. Sebastian Samuelsson incurred two penalty loops in the standing shooting.

After being last, the Swedish team fought its way back to a fifth-place finish. Still, the disappointment was great.

“It was awful. This is not how I wanted it to go,” said a very disappointed Sebastian Samuelsson, who completely lost his rhythm in the standing shooting.

Martin Ponsiluoma, Anna Magnusson, and especially Hanna Öberg delivered strong performances and climbed steadily up the results list. However, the gap to the front was too large, and instead it was a quartet that battled it out for the medals.

Strong shooting decided the race

France’s World Cup leader, Lou Jeanmonnot, created a gap for the favorites on the third leg. When Julia Simon then shot clean on the final leg, she had no trouble holding on to the lead. As a result, France claimed its second-ever Olympic gold medal in the mixed relay.

Three teams arrived together at the final standing shooting in the fight for silver and bronze. Italy’s Lisa Vittozzi was both fast and flawless, securing silver for Italy and sparking grand celebrations in the biathlon arena in Antholz.

Germany’s Franziska Preuss had to ski one penalty loop, but when Norway’s Maren Kirkeeide cracked and incurred two penalty loops, it was still enough for Germany to take bronze. Norway was close to being caught by Sweden on the final lap.

The full results can be found here: France claims Mixed Relay gold at Milano-Cortina 2026

Read More – Program for biathlon at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

Antholz-Anterselva promises breathtaking events for athletes and spectacular viewing for fans. With every shot and ski stride counting, biathlon is set to be one of the most eagerly watched sports of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Games.

Are you interested in biathlon? Click HERE and read more about it.

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