Finland had a super relay going on in Ruhpolding – missed the top spot after the young anchor substitute’s barriers: “It’s never fun to be the weak link”

Tero Seppälä was missing – but the Finnish biathlon men’s strong relay continues. Young anchor rower Otto Invenius was sent away from the top position in Ruhpolding. It was nervous, admits the 22-year-old.

Under new national team captain Erik Bartlett Kulstad’s leadership, several Finnish biathletes have succeeded in reaching new levels this winter.

The level rise has been particularly clear in the men’s relays. After a fifth and a sixth place, they suddenly had something even bigger going on in Ruhpolding.

Both Tuomas Harjula, Olli Hiidensalo and Jaakko Ranta did almost flawless stages. The trio kept Finland among the podium places – thanks to dazzling shooting.

Harjula, Hiidensalo and Ranta only needed one (!) spare cartridge in total.

– My heart rate probably already rose during the warm-up when you saw how Tuomas jumped away from the stars. And then Olli switches to me as second rider, this is something you don’t get to be a part of, Ranta smiles to Yle.

Nervous replacement cartridges for Invenius

Shooting in particular is something that the Finnish coaches emphasized that the team focused on. At the moment, it’s easy to take their word for it.

– At least for my own part, the shooting has worked all season, I haven’t missed a single point. The relay is a good gauge of where we are compared to others, and we have certainly made progress, notes Hiidensalo.

But when big star Tero Seppälä was missing, the blue-and-white men failed to hit the mark. The untried 22-year-old Otto Invenius got to feel the spotlight when Ranta sent him on his way as the fourth man.

On the dike, the anchor did not withstand the pressure. Invenius ended up in a penalty round after the horizontal shooting and finally brought Finland to the finish line as the eighth team.

– The rhythm was good in the horizontal shooting, but unfortunately the last shot missed. When it came time for the spare cartridges, nervousness crept in, says Invenius.

– I must admit that it was a little nervous to set off at the change, but at the same time it was a dream situation. It’s never fun to be the weak link, but the guys were fantastic today.

The relay got an unexpected twist when the huge favorite Norway fell behind during the opening leg. Sturla Holm Lægreid had to use a spare cartridge, but after him Tarjei Bø, Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen and Johannes Thingnes Bø managed to lead the team to a clear victory.