Lægreid secured World Cup gold – NRK Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule

– It’s absolutely magical, it’s a dream day. The top of the crown cake. I don’t know how to put it into words, says Lægreid.

Sturla Holm Lægreid graced an already fantastic World Cup season with gold in normal distance at the World Cup. The shooting stats behind this year’s season surprise NRK experts and Lægreid teammates.

Insane statistics

Once again, Lægreid managed to fill the first series of shots.

He has now made a total of 110 shots in the first series and only missed once. He also spent only 25.4 seconds in the first series and was among the fastest.

– It’s a completely crazy statistic, notes NRK commentator Andreas Stabrun Smith.

Johannes Thingnes Bø, who finished fifth, also reacts when the statistics are presented to him.

– It’s true? That says everything. Fytti the pig is impressive, says Thingnes Bø.

– Is it important to start well and not just finish?

– Yes of course. The more hits you shoot, the better. It is precisely the fact that you do not lag behind in the races, which means that you can have a good progression throughout the races that is important. So you don’t have to spend unnecessary effort on that, and you score high on that, he says.

Thus, Holm Lægreid has broken the record of the French Martin Fourcade. Last year, the Frenchman set that record, with 15 first pure series without missing a beat.

Emil Hegle Svendsen has gone and so far witnessed many biathlon races during his career, but there is little that can beat Lægreid’s shooting form.

– I have seen some series in my life, and I must say that it is enormously impressive. There are no nerves. What is that guy made of? I’ve never seen anyone so good, says NRK biathlon expert Emil Hegle Svendsen in the study.

– Is one of the best?

– It’s up there. You are not affected by zero cents, concludes Hegle Svendsen.

Meditation is the key

A very happy Lægreid thanks the family who sat at home and cheered. Without them, he would never have been where he is today, according to the recent gold winner.

Now, on the other hand, Lægreid reveals what has contributed to him dropping 20 flashes on Wednesday and running towards gold. The nerves were present as always, but now he has found a way to deal with them.

– I have some thoughts on the way to the last shooting, but it is a situation that I have practiced mentally many times. I have put myself in that situation with meditation and knew exactly what to do. I can thank him for the dozens of hours I’ve spent in bed meditating, he says.

– Why is there a lot of work behind it?

– Yes, it’s a lot of work. Taking a medal is completely sick, but a gold … It’s completely “wow”.

Coach Egil Kristiansen is also surprised by Sturla Holm Lægreid.

– It is extremely large. What Sturla does here … I’ve been involved in a lot, but I think this is where I take the cake, says Egil Kristiansen.

– Which way?

– That season here, not many people expected Sturla to participate in the World Cup and enter that championship here and take the gold, not many people expected that. It must be a talent without equal, he continues.

The gold victory also meant that Lægreid now wins the normal cup overall, after two wins and a second place.

– The all-time breakthrough in biathlon is complete. It is the largest advance since Tarjei Bø. This guy is a phenomenon, says commentator Stabrun Smith.

The future in good hands

Tarjei Bø was the previous Norwegian to take gold in normal distance at a World Cup. He arrived ten years ago in the Russian Khanty-Mansiysk.

This year he finished in a disappointing 67th place, but he is satisfied with the performance of Dale and Lægreid.

– There is nothing that pleases me more than being able to hand over the baton internally to a colleague and to Sturla. He is the new star who will take over. Johannes has replaced us for a long time, but the day Johannes leaves, we have both Johannes Dale and Sturla, who can carry the legacy further, says Tarjei Bø.

– What has he brought to the team?

– If there’s one thing I should mention, it’s the shooting. This does not mean that it is not good for skiing, it is completely raw at skiing, but there we have an extreme experience from before. In shooting the level of training has increased, but especially in competition. He shoots better in competition than in training, unlike most of us, including myself, says Bø.

See the full list of results here: