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And then he was there again in a relay at the shooting range.
New relay, new location.
Then the first stage of the mixed relay. Now last in the men’s relay. Then he would push Sweden into the competition, now it was a matter of securing a medal.
Sebastian wanted to shoot and it was impossible not to think about when he would shoot for the last time in a relay at the start of the Olympics.
Then from a standing start. He had an early upswing and was stressed. The barrel of the gun began to move like a whisk, his strength was exhausted, he knelt down to try to restart, but he distributed the shots so that it was time to take cover in Val di Fiemme, where I saw the misery, several hours’ drive away.
He fired extra throws, there were two penalties and 18th place in transition. Sweden’s chances in the mixed relay were exhausted.
Afterwards, Samuelsson said that the problem was in his head and that he had let the team down.
Now I had caught myself to Antholz for the men’s relay. To the place at an altitude of 1,600 meters where Sebastian Samuelsson always has such a difficult time, and now he has a great golden chance with the first shot on the last stretch.
Viktor Brandt, especially Jesper Nelin and Martin Ponsiluoma, had done what could be asked.
But then there was a boom. And another one.
Samuelsson had snowfall and the big favorites France and Norway next to him.
He took his time.
But then there was a boom. And another one.
Sebastian Samuelsson missed the golden chance.
But he secured the medal.
There were no more failures that day. It was bronze, and considering the lineups and the Olympic form of Nelin and Samuelsson, it was clearly an endorsement.
Would “Ponsi” have made it the last distance? No, it is not certain whether Samuelsson could give him a golden chance.
He had opinions and wasn’t afraid to express them.
Sebastian Samuelsson became Silver Sebbe when he was one of the biathletes who gave a face to the national team’s big breakthrough at the 2018 Olympics. He won individual silver and gold in the relay.
Even back then, I was blown away by how he veered off the track and onto the embankment.
He had an opinion, wasn’t afraid to express it, and had the verbal ability to execute it well.
Since then, he’s cut his hair and gotten into a routine, but he’s continued to speak his mind over the years.
He stood on the barricades in the fight against doping and Russian involvement and is consequently chairman of the Active Committee of the International Biathlon Union.
There are two things that are particularly impressive.
Sebastian Samuelsson has a solid foundation in his opinion and doesn’t just talk because it’s the right thing to do.
Of everyone on the squad, it’s clearly the most exciting to think about what Samuelsson will do after his retirement.
And Sebastian Samuelsson manages to combine his competitiveness with open opinions. If he pushes away or doesn’t get the skiing going, it could be due to a lot of things, but not because he’s made headlines elsewhere.
In the entire Swedish Olympic squad Sebastian Samuelsson is therefore the most fascinating athlete to follow.
And of everyone in the squad, it’s clearly the most exciting to think about what Samuelsson will do after his retirement.
He is already the father of a little girl, but given the planned and focused life of a top athlete, real adulthood only begins after the last race.
Will he become a politician? Should he lead a major sports association?
There doesn’t seem to be a lack of offers. He shouldn’t have to sink into a TV sofa and become an expert in the crowd.
Samuelsson is studying economics. Likes social debates, law and politics. He had previously expressed support for the moderates and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, but was unsure where his voice would end up this fall in an interview on ETC ahead of the Olympics.
Will he become a politician? Should he lead a major sports association? Should he continue his fight for a clean sport? Should he start his own business or become a business developer and retire from the sport?
Hopefully the answers are still years away.
Finally: The next relay medal should not be far away. Sweden will take part in the women’s relay on Wednesday and overtake gold.
