Biathlon star Sturla Holm Lægreid opens up about his biggest fear in an exclusive interview with ProXCskiing.com’s sister site Langrenn.com.

The 27-year-old Norwegian has made several significant changes ahead of the biathlon season, all aimed at increasing his chances of finally claiming the big crystal globe from Johannes Thingnes Bø. He has moved back to Oslo, optimized his equipment, trained better than ever, and feels well-prepared. But a large, dark cloud looms over Sturla Holm Lægreid morning, noon, and night.

In an interview with ProXCskiing.com’s sister site Langrenn.com, the biathlon star opens up about his greatest fear, which impacts his daily life every single day. And it has nothing to do with the much-discussed accidental discharge incident last winter, although that episode caused him a lot of stress.

Do you often think about the possibility of getting sick?

“Yes. All the time. It’s my biggest worry. It’s the one thing that can prevent the season from starting. So, I’m very cautious when meeting friends or family,” says Lægreid to ProXCskiing.com’s sister site Langrenn.com, elaborating:

“I ask them, ‘Have you been around large groups of people in the past few days?’ It’s basically only my girlfriend and grandmother I feel comfortable meeting. Oh, and my mom and dad too—they understand the situation. But when the season is so close, isolating yourself is essential.”

How do you motivate yourself to isolate so much?

“We live crazy lives, and when you have a girlfriend with a normal life, she can barely stay in our shared space when I’m home. We’re wired a bit differently; we’re scared of getting sick, and we prioritize differently,” he says, adding that he has strict rules for social interactions.

“In November, everything happens away from people, either out in the woods during training or at home in the apartment with no visitors. So, it gets very isolating.”

But does it work? Have you managed to stay healthy?

“I wish I could say yes. But there was a period this summer during training camp when I got sick. I recovered and trained well until I participated in a long and challenging cycling race. I completely ran out of energy and was sick for two weeks in July afterward. But since August, I’ve been healthy and training well. It’s rare for me to stay as healthy as I have this year from August until the start of the season.”

At the Norwegian national season premiere, Lægreid delivered a clean shooting performance in the sprint (8th place) on Saturday, finishing half a minute behind the winner, Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen. On Sunday, he placed fourth in the mass start after a strong finish.

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From Tandrevold to Strømsheim: Sjusjøen mass start delivers fireworks

Biathlon World Cup: Complete program for Kontiolahti

After the IBU Cup’s first event yesterday in Sweden, the 2024/2025 biathlon World Cup will start this Saturday in Kontiolahti, Finland. Here is the complete competition program, with start lists and start times for the single mixed relay and mixed relay.

Kontiolahti, Finland, from November 30 to December 8, is the place for this year’s biathlon World Cup premiere. The event starts on Saturday, November 30, with the single mixed relay and mixed relay. On Sunday, December 1, a men’s and women’s relay awaits. On Tuesday, December 3, it’s time for the men’s short individual.

On Wednesday, December 4, stay tuned for the women’s short individual. The sprint races will be contested for men on Friday, December 6, and Saturday, December 7, for women. The last day of competitions will feature mass start competitions for both men and women on Sunday, December 8.

FACTS Kontiolahti World Cup Season 2024/2025

• When: Saturday, November 30 to Sunday, December 8
• Who: Elite national biathletes – women and men
• Where: Kontiolahti, Finland
• What: IBU World Cup in Kontiolahti, Finland

PROGRAM

Saturday, November 30: Single Mixed Relay and Mixed Relay (more information can be found HERE)

• 13:15 CET: Single Mixed Relay (W+M) 
• 15:45 CET: Mixed Relay (W+M) 

Start lists can be found HERE (Single Mixed Relay) and HERE (Mixed Relay)

Sunday, December 1: Relay Men and Relay Women (more information can be found HERE)

• 13:45 CET: 4×7.5km Relay, Men
• 17:25 CET: 4x6km Relay, Women

Tuesday, December 3: 15km Short Individual Men (more information can be found HERE)

• 16:20 CET: 15km Short Individual, Men

Wednesday, December 4: 12.5km Short Individual Women (more information can be found HERE)

• 16:20 CET: 12.5km Short Individual, Women

Friday, December 6: 10km Sprint Men (more information can be found HERE)

• 16:20 CET: 10km Sprint, Men

Saturday, December 7: 12.5km Short Individual Women (more information can be found HERE)

• 17:10 CET: 7.5km Sprint, Women

Sunday, December 8: 15/12.5km Mass Start (more information can be found HERE)

• 14:30 CET: 15km Mass Start, Men
• 17:10 CET: 12.5km Mass Start, Women

Also Read: Biathlon World Cup and World Championships: Calendar for the 2024/2025 winter season

Additional information about the Biathlon World Cup can be found HERE

Are you interested in biathlon? Click HERE and read more about it.