Biathlon
Biathlon: Juni Arnekleiv will race to honor the late Sivert Guttorm Bakken
December 27, 2025 / NRK Sport
Norwegian biathlete Juni Arnekleiv says she will start at the Schalke show race to honor Sivert Guttorm Bakken, who died on Christmas Eve while at altitude training in Lavazè, Italy. The Norwegian federation has added support staff and coordinated with organizers, who will hold a minute’s silence in Bakken’s memory. World Cup racing resumes in Oberhof on 8 January, while an autopsy will be conducted in Italy; the cause of death remains unknown.
Norwegian biathlete Bakken was wearing a hypoxic mask when he died in Trentino
December 25, 2025 / La Gazzetta dello Sport
The Norwegian Biathlon Federation said 27-year-old Sivert Guttorm Bakken was found dead in a hotel room at Passo di Lavazè, Trentino, while wearing a hypoxic training mask that restricts oxygen intake. Authorities will conduct an autopsy in Italy, and the federation noted the circumstances of the device’s acquisition and use are unknown. Bakken had previously paused his career in 2023 due to pericarditis but had recently returned to World Cup competition.
Christmas with kisses, cooking and... the Grinch: Italy's biathletes under the tree
December 23, 2025 / La Gazzetta dello Sport (gazzetta.it)
Short human-interest piece on how Italy's World Cup biathletes are spending the Christmas break after a busy competition period. The article quotes athletes (Tommaso Giacomel, Lisa Vittozzi, Dorothea Wierer) about family time, gifts and rest before the World Cup resumes in Oberhof on 8 January.
Three U.S. biathletes named to 2026 Olympic team after Annecy WC3
December 23, 2025 / Adirondack Daily Enterprise
Margie Freed, Maxime Germain and Deedra Irwin have been objectively selected to the U.S. Biathlon team for the Milano‑Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics following World Cup 3 in Annecy‑Le Grand‑Bornand. They join dual citizen Campbell Wright, who prequalified earlier this year after winning two World Championship silver medals. The final U.S. Olympic biathlon roster—adding one objective and one discretionary pick per gender—will be completed Jan. 6 after timed trials in Antholz, pending USOPC approval.
Norwegian biathlete Sivert Guttorm Bakken dies at 27
December 23, 2025 / Sveriges Radio – Radiosporten
Norway’s biathlon federation announced that Sivert Guttorm Bakken has died at the age of 27. He was found in his hotel room in Lavazè, Italy; the cause of death is not yet known. Bakken competed in the World Cup in Annecy just last week, finishing fifth in the sprint, and was remembered by the federation’s acting secretary‑general Emilie Nordskar as a highly admired athlete and person.
Biathlon: Norwegian national-team athlete Sivert Guttorm Bakken dies after a sudden illness while on vacation in Trentino
December 23, 2025 / La Gazzetta dello Sport
Norwegian biathlete Sivert Guttorm Bakken, 27, was found dead in his hotel room at Passo Lavazè (Trentino) while on a short rest period with national teammates. A four-time World Cup race winner in 2021–22, he had paused his career in 2023 due to pericarditis and recently returned to the World Cup. The Norwegian federation expressed condolences and pledged cooperation with Italian authorities investigating the cause of death.
Giacomel stuns the field: wins the men’s mass start in Le Grand-Bornand
December 21, 2025 / La Gazzetta dello Sport
Italy’s Tommaso Giacomel dominated the IBU World Cup mass start in Le Grand-Bornand, finishing ahead of France’s Éric Perrot and Norway’s Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen. In the women’s race, Norway’s Maren Kirkeeide took the win, with Italy’s Rebecca Passler 11th and Dorothea Wierer struggling to 27th as Lisa Vittozzi was ill. Giacomel called the victory “fantastic,” saying he could hardly believe it.
Biathlon mass start in Annecy: Preuß, Voigt and Weidel charge into the top 10
December 21, 2025 / Sportschau
Franziska Preuß (6th), Vanessa Voigt (7th) and Anna Weidel (10th) all finished in the top ten in the women’s 12.5 km mass start at the Biathlon World Cup in Annecy–Le Grand-Bornand. Preuß, recently recovered from illness, secured her Olympic qualification with the result. The win was decided in a sprint, with Norway’s Maren Kirkeeide edging France’s Lou Jeanmonnot and Justine Braisaz‑Bouchet.
Biathlon: 2025–2026 World Cup calendar
December 21, 2025 / L'Équipe
L'Équipe publishes the full schedule for the 2025–2026 Biathlon World Cup season, listing dates and venues for each stage including the Olympic window in Milan–Cortina 2026. The page also links to results pages for each World Cup stop and aggregates related news items about athletes and race reports.
Biathlon: Ella Halvarsson drops from podium contention after misses in Le Grand-Bornand mass start
December 21, 2025 / SVT Sport
Sweden’s Ella Halvarsson led early in the women’s World Cup mass start at Le Grand-Bornand after clean shooting through two stages, but two misses in the third shooting cost her a first individual podium of the season and she finished ninth. Norway’s Maren Kirkeeide won her first individual World Cup race in a sprint finish ahead of France’s Lou Jeanmonnot and Justine Braisaz-Bouchet. Hanna Öberg was 14th, Elvira Öberg 19th, and Anna Magnusson 20th.
Tommaso Giacomel dominant in mass start, claims third career World Cup win
December 21, 2025 / SVT Sport
Italy’s Tommaso Giacomel won the men’s mass start in Le Grand-Bornand with commanding shooting and skiing, taking his third career World Cup victory. He missed just one shot (in the first prone) and cleaned both standing stages to finish comfortably ahead of France’s Éric Perrot and Norway’s Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen. Sweden’s Sebastian Samuelsson faded to eighth after shooting errors, with Martin Ponsiluoma 11th and Jesper Nelin 27th.
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Norway’s Ida Lien out of Milano–Cortina 2026 after back surgery
December 21, 2025 / Eurosport Norge
Norwegian biathlete Ida Lien, 28, has undergone successful back surgery after a prolapsed disc and will miss the 2026 Winter Olympics. She hopes to be back on skis in February and possibly race late-season events, but says that remains uncertain. Lien made her Olympic debut in Beijing 2022, where Norway finished fourth in the relay.