Often, no one wants to ski the final leg in an important relay. There is extra pressure on the athlete who must decide it for the entire team.

But the 33-year-old from Geilo does not need to be persuaded. He has that special quality required to decide a relay.

We saw it at the dramatic finish of the Olympic relay in Beijing in 2022. The 193-centimeter-tall Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen secured gold for Norway when it was supposed to be impossible.

Now he has taken silver in the sprint in Anterselva and received the confirmation he was looking for. It was his third Olympic medal, after relay gold and mass start bronze in China four years ago.

Sjåstad Christiansen also has three World Championship relay gold medals (one in mixed relay), and his special strength is his finishing ability. He is often ice-cold in the final standing shooting. And even if he has to ski a penalty loop, he can unleash a finishing sprint that ranks among the best in the world elite.

None of the other biathletes wants to face Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen head-to-head on the final stretch.

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From a true sports family

The tall, good-humored biathlete comes from a true sports family in Geilo. His younger sister, Tiril Sjåstad Christiansen, was previously among the top in freestyle skiing, while his older (half-)sister, Pia Rivelsrud, was also a strong alpine skier. She now works as a TV reporter for NRK.

But Vetle was supposed to become a cross-country skier. In 2007, he won the Hovelandsrennet (the Norwegian youth championships) in the 5km freestyle in Steinkjer. He was 15 years old.

He followed that up by becoming the Norwegian junior sprint champion in Røros in 2009. He won the 17-year-old category ahead of future national team skier Sindre Bjørnestad Skar. Perhaps that was when we first saw his special talent.

The choice between cross-country skiing and biathlon was not easy. Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen won every Norwegian junior biathlon championship he entered. In 2010, he won bronze in the individual at the Junior World Championship in Torsby, Sweden. His ski time was nearly two minutes faster than the winner’s. He also won bronze in the sprint and the relay at that championship.

Outspoken — and a bit unconventional

As a senior, Vetle has been part of the Norwegian national team almost continuously. But last winter brought complications. He was moved down to the IBU Cup, and there were several verbal exchanges with the national team management. He was not selected for the World Championships. The athlete from Geilo is known for speaking his mind.

He changed his training plan and dedicated himself 100 percent to making a comeback this season. So far, it has resulted in Olympic silver in the sprint. Among other things, there has been less golf and more time in bed for recovery.

The plan also included a more advanced nutritional periodization, and he now fasts for 14 hours a day.

Last year’s disputes are now behind him, and he is the man expected to secure Norwegian gold in the Olympic biathlon relay. But all four athletes must deliver top performances — and trust that the killer finish is there for Norway’s anchor.

Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen, however, has some habits and interests that are somewhat out of the ordinary.

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