Biathlon: Sebastian Samuelsson takes second in Östersund pursuit after late drama

Sebastian Samuelsson claimed a podium in Sunday’s men’s pursuit in Östersund, finishing second after a dramatic finale.

Starting fifth, 25 seconds behind Norway’s Johan-Olav Botn, Samuelsson shot clean in his first two shootings, moving out in second behind Botn. “I realized if I shot well I had a chance,” he told SVT.

In the third shooting Samuelsson missed one, while Botn missed two, tightening the fight for the lead. The fourth and final shooting proved decisive: both Samuelsson and Botn missed one, but France’s Quentin Fillon Maillet hit all five and left the range in the lead. He held on to win, with Samuelsson outsprinting Botn on the finishing straight to take second, 6.7 seconds behind the Frenchman.

“It was the crowd that pushed me. I thought about waiting with the sprint—I was tired—but I decided to go for it. The crowd lifted me,” Samuelsson said, adding that to win he would have needed to clean the last shooting but was very satisfied with how he handled the range work.

Other Swedes: Martin Ponsiluoma finished 12th, Malte Stefansson 15th after an early perfect start before errors in the third shooting, Viktor Brandt 25th, Jesper Nelin 42nd, and Melker Nordgren 51st.