-Dit’s an experience rich in lead and I would have preferred to do without it, summarizes Lægreid for NRK.

He was number seven in the sprint and came out 1.02 behind Johannes Thingnes Bø at the start of the chase, but already at the first lie there were three booms.

– The race was actually ruined after the first shot. And with two booms on the second and four on the third… Then it was just a matter of throwing in the towel and looking towards the relay, says Lægreid.

– Completely atypical

Last position meant the total ended at 10 out of a possible 20 arrow shots and a 24th place finish. Four minutes and 33 seconds behind French gold medalist Quentin Fillon Maillet.

This is in stark contrast to last season, where Lægreid became the most accurate biathlete. He ended up with a hit percentage of up to 95 horizontally and 88% vertically.

– This is a completely unusual diet for him. He got a screw message after the first lie, because all the shots were far left and he had to screw three-four-five shots, so he probably made an error in judgment in the wind, especially on the lie today. today. He himself is the most disappointed, sports director Per Arne Botnan told NRK.

Lægreid confirms the rumors himself, but thinks it was difficult to fully understand.

– It was, to put it mildly, difficult conditions.

– It’s kind of boring that you have your worst experience when it comes to most, but you also have to go through it. I have to face adversity myself and, and now I have to rebuild myself, says Lægreid.

Think other things took time

NRK experts have warned even before the season that it is often difficult to follow through on a dream start the comet made last season. Then he became World Cup king and number two in the combined World Cup.

– It’s not easy to do such a solid job the following season. There are a lot of other things, like social media and people wanting to contact you, that take up time. Maybe he didn’t do a good enough shooting job, says NRK shooting expert Ola Lunde.

– Many elements can interfere. It’s very common. It’s about being as perfectionist in many ways as Bjørndalen was, and that’s not easy, says Liv Grete Skjelbreid.

Lægreid, who on the other hand had a good day on the track with the seventh best cross-country time, thinks he did most things right.

– We have made every effort to be here as well prepared as possible, and so have we. The shooting piece doesn’t fit completely, for me at least, and maybe that’s because I put a little too much stuff in there. I see there will be fewer opportunities to unleash my potential here now. It doesn’t exactly relieve the pressure, he says.

Penalty training

Tuesday, the masters of the biathlon leave in relay. The plan has always been for Lægreid to pass the first stage, followed by Tarjei Bø, Johannes Thingnes Bø and Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen as presenter.

– It’s the first time he’s done a really bad job on the stand. He’s probably the one with the most motivation to raise the old lady and do a good stint. We have a plan A for this relay, and we won’t be shaking so much after a race here, said sporting director Botnan.

Lægreid says shooting coach Siegfried Mazet promised not to shoot for anyone who did a good job at the start of the hunt. It will not be so.

– It will probably be a penalty shootout practice on me now, so I will have to work with the relay shooting tomorrow, he says, at the same time as his teammate Christiansen interrupts him:

– We have the best first stage runner in the world. We will take it.

– It’s good that the guys support me, replies Lægreid.