The Swedish biathlon star fires a sharp jab at his Norwegian rivals just weeks before the World Cup opener on home soil.

Both Bø brothers have retired, and that will lead to significantly worse results for Norway this winter, predicts Sebastian Samuelsson.

“I think things are really tough for them! I’m looking forward to a season without so many Norwegian victories,” said the Swedish biathlon star to SVT.

Samuelsson believes the Bø brothers’ retirement will leave a void in the Norwegian team and put more pressure on those who remain.

Much more pressure

National teammate Martin Ponsiluoma agrees with Samuelsson and points out that the pressure will increase both on and off track.

“There will be more pressure on the rest of the skiers. I think Johannes (Thingnes Bø) has taken a lot of it. I don’t know how many years he’s been the world’s best biathlete, and the others have been able to stay under the radar,” said Ponsiluoma.

“And they’ll have more eyes on them now,” he added.

After Johannes Thingnes Bø’s retirement, Ponsiluoma now tops the statistics for the fastest skier on the circuit, with Samuelsson right behind. No Norwegians are among the top three.

Also Read: Fastest men on the biathlon tracks – Sweden challenges Norway’s dominance

Lægreid: “He needs to learn to shoot”

Samuelsson is known as one of the fastest on skis, but often falls short on the shooting range. Norway’s Sturla Holm Lægreid, who won the overall World Cup title last winter, just shook his head when Samuelsson made a similar comment earlier this year.

He has one piece of advice for his Swedish rival.

“He already has a roller ski treadmill, so now he should probably build a shooting range in his basement. That’s the only thing that can save him now. He skis fast, but he really needs to shoot better,” Lægreid told Langrenn.com after the World Cup final in Holmenkollen.

“But I’m hoping for a Norwegian-Swedish duel with Sebbe. It’s about time.”

Also Read – Biathlon World Cup: Calendar for the 2025/2026 winter season

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