Sebastian Samuelsson started strongly in sixth place in the pursuit in Annecy but missed three shots in the first prone stage and dropped to 18th. Despite a strong comeback, the 28-year-old finished fifth in the World Cup. "It's crazy," says coach Jean-Marc Chabloz.
In the Biathlon World Cup pursuit in Annecy, France, on December 20, 2025, Sebastian Samuelsson experienced an unexpected shooting mishap. The Swede started in sixth place after a strong sprint earlier in the week, but he missed three consecutive shots in the first prone stage. This sent him down to 18th after the range.
"Sebbe who is one of the world's best prone shooters, it can't be explained," commented shooting coach Jean-Marc Chabloz to SVT Sport. "It's crazy."
Samuelsson continued with one miss in the second prone stage, but he redeemed himself by shooting clean in the third and fourth stages. His fast skiing—the quickest in the field—helped him climb to fifth place overall. Norway's Johan-Olav Botn won the race, his third victory of the season, while Samuelsson finished 52 seconds behind the winning time.
"I was really surprised myself. The shooting was really bad. But I'm satisfied with how I turned the race around," Samuelsson said to SVT afterward. The next best Swede was Martin Ponsiluoma in sixth, with Jesper Nelin in 21st.
The incident highlights the unpredictability of biathlon, where shooting often decides the outcome despite strong skiing. Samuelsson, one of Sweden's leading biathletes, demonstrated mental resilience in his recovery.
