Sturla Holm Lægreid

Sturla Holm Lægreid
	Lægreid in 2023
Personal information
Nationality	Norwegian
Born	20 February 1997 (age 27); Bærum, Norway
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	75 kg (165 lb)
Professional information
Sport	Biathlon
Club	Bærums SK
World Cup debut	6 March 2020
Olympic Games
Teams	1 (2022)
Medals	1 (1 gold)
World Championships
Teams	3 (2021–2024)
Medals	12 (6 gold)
World Cup
Seasons	6
Individual races	105
All races	132
Individual victories	13
All victories	30
Individual podiums	44
All podiums	71
Discipline titles	2:; 1 Individual (2020–21) ; 1 Pursuit (2020–21)
Medal record
Men's biathlon
Representing Norway
Olympic Games
World Championships
Junior World Championships
	Updated on 19 December 2024

Sturla Holm Lægreid (born 20 February 1997) is a Norwegian biathlete. In the season opener of the 2020–2021 season, he earned his first World Cup win at the 20 km Individual.^[1] Six-time Biathlon World Champion and 2022 Olympic Champion in the relay.^[2]

Career

Early years and first World Cup appearances (until 2020)

Sturla Holm Lægreid grew up in the municipality of Bærum near Oslo as the second of three children (with an older brother and a younger sister) in a sports-oriented family.^[3] He was introduced to various sports early in life: alongside skiing, he trained in sports such as football, taekwondo, and bandy. At the age of 16, he focused on biathlon and attended the WANG Sports Gymnasium in Oslo for three years.^[4] During this time, he participated in the 2015 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival in Bürserberg, Vorarlberg, where he won silver in the pursuit behind Sebastian Samuelsson and gold in the mixed relay alongside Mathea Tofte, Karoline Erdal, and Aleksander Fjeld Andersen.^[5]

After achieving success in national junior competitions, Lægreid was included in Norway's team for the Biathlon Junior World Championships 2018 in Otepää at the age of 21. There, he won silver in the individual race and gold in the relay alongside Sivert Bakken, Johannes Dale, and Endre Strømsheim. Shortly afterward, he contracted mononucleosis, which restricted his training for eight months and caused him to miss most of the 2018/19 season.^[6] During this time, he restructured his shooting position based on video analysis of Martin Fourcade^[7] and worked on his rifle. However, upon returning to Norwegian Cup events at the end of 2019, he faced significant difficulties at the shooting range and subsequently began mental training and meditation.^[8] In February 2020, he won a mass start event at the IBU Cup in Martell. This performance earned him a nomination for the 2020 Biathlon European Championships in Minsk, where he secured a silver medal in the pursuit behind Sergey Bocharnikov from Belarus. Toward the season's end, Lægreid made his first four World Cup appearances in Nové Město na Moravě and Kontiolahti, hitting 59 of 60 shots^[9] and finishing between tenth and fifteenth place in all four races.

Rapid rise to the world elite (since 2020)

In summer 2020, the Norwegian Biathlon Association included Lægreid in its six-member elite national team. At the first World Cup of the new season in Kontiolahti, he surprisingly won the season-opening 20 km individual race with clean shooting during just his fifth start in the series, taking the yellow bib as overall leader. Over the season, Lægreid achieved six more individual victories and finished second in the overall standings behind teammate Johannes Thingnes Bø. He won the discipline standings in both the individual and pursuit events, as well as the newly introduced U25 classification. At the 2021 Biathlon World Championships in Pokljuka, he claimed four gold medals: in the individual, mass start, men's relay, and mixed relay, where he was the starting skier in each race. His strength lay particularly at the shooting range, hitting 97% of his targets in the World Championship individual races^[7] and more than 92% throughout the season. He was the second-best shooter of the winter after Simon Eder.^[10] Lægreid cited his lack of sprinting ability as his main weakness.^[11]

In the 2021/22 Olympic season, Lægreid won two individual and four relay World Cup races. He once again placed second in the overall standings, this time behind Quentin Fillon Maillet. At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, he displayed shooting weaknesses and did not win any individual medals.^[12] In the men's relay, he was responsible for Norway's only penalty loop as the starting skier and handed over in seventh place to Tarjei Bø. The relay, which also included Johannes Thingnes Bø and Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen, ultimately won the race, earning Lægreid an Olympic gold medal.^[13] In the 2022/23 season, Lægreid placed second in the overall standings for the third consecutive time, again behind Johannes Thingnes Bø, who won 16 of the 21 season races. Lægreid achieved one victory, in the pursuit in Annecy/Le Grand-Bornand under challenging conditions. At the 2023 Biathlon World Championships, Lægreid and Bø became World Champions in the mixed relay and won silver in the men's relay. Lægreid also won silver in the pursuit and the 20 km individual race and bronze in the sprint, each time behind Bø. Late in the season, Lægreid missed some competitions due to a COVID-19 infection.^[14]

At the start of the 2023–24 Biathlon World Cup season, Lægreid struggled for form during the Östersund races and repeatedly missed the top ten.^[15] He returned to the podium in subsequent competitions. During the Lenzerheide World Cup in December 2023, Lægreid accidentally fired a shot in the team accommodation during dry-fire practice, having mistakenly loaded a full magazine instead of an empty one. The shot hit a stool. For violating the safety rules of the world governing body, he was disqualified from the mass start race in Lenzerheide.^[16]

At the World Championships in Nové Město on February 10, 2024, he became the world champion in the sprint, ahead of Johannes Thingnes Bø. In December 2024, together with Karoline Knotten, he won the World Team Challenge in both the mass start and the pursuit, which took place at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen.^[17]

Biathlon results

All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union.

Olympic Games

1 medal (1 gold)

Event	Individual	Sprint	Pursuit	Mass start	Relay	Mixed relay
2022 Beijing	15th	7th	24th	6th	Gold	—

World Championships

12 medals (6 gold, 5 silver, 1 bronze)

Event	Individual	Sprint	Pursuit	Mass start	Relay	Mixed relay	Single mixed relay
2021 Pokljuka	Gold	7th	6th	Gold	Gold	Gold	−
2023 Oberhof	Silver	Bronze	Silver	4th	Silver	Gold	−
2024 Nové Mĕsto	18th	Gold	Silver	17th	Silver	–	–

*During Olympic seasons competitions are only held for those events not included in the Olympic program.

**The single mixed relay was added as an event in 2019.

World Cup

Season	Overall		Individual		Sprint		Pursuit		Mass start
Season	Points	Position	Points	Position	Points	Position	Points	Position	Points	Position
2019–20	115	43rd	–	–	59	37th	30	41st	26	34th
2020–21	1039	2nd	120	1st	319	2nd	306	1st	161	4th
2021–22	736	2nd	100	2nd	284	3rd	199	7th	153	4th
2022–23	1098	2nd	90	8th	375	2nd	425	2nd	208	3rd
2023–24	862	4th	135	4th	302	3rd	294	5th	131	8th
2024–25	354	2nd	65	3rd	159	3rd	65	3rd	65	3rd

† – season in progress

Individual victories

13 victories (4 In, 3 Sp, 4 Pu, 2 Ms)

No.	Season	Date	Location	Discipline	Level
1	2020-21	28 November 2020	Kontiolahti	20 km Individual	Biathlon World Cup
2		17 December 2020	Hochfilzen	10 km Sprint	Biathlon World Cup
3		19 December 2020	Hochfilzen	12.5 km Pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
4		9 January 2021	Oberhof	12.5 km Pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
5		17 February 2021	Pokljuka	20 km Individual	Biathlon World Championship
6		21 February 2021	Pokljuka	15 km Mass start	Biathlon World Championship
7		20 March 2021	Ostersund	12.5 km Pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
8	2021-22	27 November 2021	Ostersund	20 km Individual	Biathlon World Cup
9	2021-22	18 March 2022	Oslo	10 km Sprint	Biathlon World Cup
10	2022-23	17 December 2022	Annecy	12.5 km Pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
11	2023-24	10 February 2024	Nové Město	10 km Sprint	Biathlon World Championship
12		1 March 2024	Oslo	20 km Individual	Biathlon World Cup
13		2 March 2024	Oslo	15 km Mass start	Biathlon World Cup

References

^ "Sturla Holm Laegreid Stuns with Kontiolahti 20 km Victory". International Biathlon Union – IBU. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
^ "International Biathlon Union - Athlete profile for Sturla Holm LAEGREID". International Biathlon Union - IBU.
^ Rune Edøy: Mammas KM-gull med Parat blir liksom ikke det samme ... on tk.no. February 22, 2021. Accessed October 22, 2022. Lægreid is indirectly related to former Norwegian football national team player Frode Kippe, as Kippe is the partner of Lægreid's aunt and is referred to as his uncle in media reports. See Ida Høidalen: VM-konge Sturla Holm Lægreid inspirert av onkel Frode Kippe: – Et forbilde on aftenposten.no. March 10, 2021. Accessed October 22, 2022.
^ Kristin Roset: Sturla Holm Lægreid brukte skattepengene på nytt hus: – Banken tjener vel litt penger på det lånet jeg har nå on gd.no. October 9, 2022. Accessed October 22, 2022.
^ Mona N. Stensvold: Vart olympisk meister on hallingdolen.no. January 30, 2015. Accessed October 22, 2022.
^ Kopierte legende i tung sykdomsperiode - slo til med sensasjonsseier on nrk.no. November 28, 2020. Accessed October 22, 2022.
^ ^a ^b Saskia Aleythe: Der König meditiert on sueddeutsche.de. February 22, 2021. Accessed October 23, 2022.
^ Kurt B. M. Haugli: I løpet av to måneder var han blitt millionær – og verdenskjent skiskytter on aftenbladet.no. February 12, 2021. Accessed October 22, 2022.
^ Viktor Storsveen: Mamma ble kretsmester med Parat, nå er sønnen på elitelandslaget i skiskyting on tk.no. November 5, 2020. Accessed October 22, 2022.
^ Romain LB: Simon Eder, meilleur tireur de l’hiver on biathlonlive.com. March 23, 2021. Accessed October 23, 2022.
^ Sturla Holm Laegreid: Always looking forward on biathlonworld.com. November 12, 2021. Accessed October 23, 2022.
^ Etienne Hestin: Pékin 2022 – Sturla Holm Laegreid : « Je n’ai pas obtenu ce que je souhaitais » on biathlonlive.com. February 14, 2022; Christian Grieg Sander, Hanne Skjellum & Oddvar Sagbakken Saanum: Overrasket over NRK-ekspertens detaljavsløring: – Bra av Ola å plukke opp det on nrk.no. March 10, 2022. Accessed October 23, 2022.
^ Ilka Schweikl: Biathlon Beijing 2022: Norwegian men's relay wins gold – Germany misses podium on xc-ski.de. February 15, 2022. Accessed October 23, 2022.
^ dpa: Norwegian biathlete Laegreid absent due to COVID-19 on sueddeutsche.de. March 1, 2023. Accessed April 17, 2023.
^ Thomas von Eichhorn: Biathlon World Cup: Frustration for Norway’s gold collector Sturla Holm Lægreid - "Miles behind"' on eurosport.de. December 4, 2023. Accessed April 27, 2024.
^ "Biathlon: Fünfmaliger Weltmeister Lægreid schießt versehentlich im Teamhotel". 17 December 2023 – via www.spiegel.de.
^ https://www.rnd.de/sport/biathlon-auf-schalke-bei-world-team-challenge-kein-heimsieg-aber-podestplaetze-2GL4ZBBA4JAIPDEYIDICQNCLN4.html

External links

Sturla Lægreid at IBU
Sturla Lægreid at FIS (cross-country)
Sturla Lægreid at Olympics.com
Sturla Lægreid at Olympedia
Sturla Holm Lægreid at Team Norway (in Norwegian)

[1] "Sturla Holm Laegreid Stuns with Kontiolahti 20 km Victory". International Biathlon Union – IBU. Retrieved 28 November 2020.

[2] "International Biathlon Union - Athlete profile for Sturla Holm LAEGREID". International Biathlon Union - IBU.

[3] Rune Edøy: Mammas KM-gull med Parat blir liksom ikke det samme ... on tk.no. February 22, 2021. Accessed October 22, 2022. Lægreid is indirectly related to former Norwegian football national team player Frode Kippe, as Kippe is the partner of Lægreid's aunt and is referred to as his uncle in media reports. See Ida Høidalen: VM-konge Sturla Holm Lægreid inspirert av onkel Frode Kippe: – Et forbilde on aftenposten.no. March 10, 2021. Accessed October 22, 2022.

[4] Kristin Roset: Sturla Holm Lægreid brukte skattepengene på nytt hus: – Banken tjener vel litt penger på det lånet jeg har nå on gd.no. October 9, 2022. Accessed October 22, 2022.

[5] Mona N. Stensvold: Vart olympisk meister on hallingdolen.no. January 30, 2015. Accessed October 22, 2022.

[6] Kopierte legende i tung sykdomsperiode - slo til med sensasjonsseier on nrk.no. November 28, 2020. Accessed October 22, 2022.

[aleythe-7] Saskia Aleythe: Der König meditiert on sueddeutsche.de. February 22, 2021. Accessed October 23, 2022.

[8] Kurt B. M. Haugli: I løpet av to måneder var han blitt millionær – og verdenskjent skiskytter on aftenbladet.no. February 12, 2021. Accessed October 22, 2022.

[9] Viktor Storsveen: Mamma ble kretsmester med Parat, nå er sønnen på elitelandslaget i skiskyting on tk.no. November 5, 2020. Accessed October 22, 2022.

[10] Romain LB: Simon Eder, meilleur tireur de l’hiver on biathlonlive.com. March 23, 2021. Accessed October 23, 2022.

[11] Sturla Holm Laegreid: Always looking forward on biathlonworld.com. November 12, 2021. Accessed October 23, 2022.

[12] Etienne Hestin: Pékin 2022 – Sturla Holm Laegreid : « Je n’ai pas obtenu ce que je souhaitais » on biathlonlive.com. February 14, 2022; Christian Grieg Sander, Hanne Skjellum & Oddvar Sagbakken Saanum: Overrasket over NRK-ekspertens detaljavsløring: – Bra av Ola å plukke opp det on nrk.no. March 10, 2022. Accessed October 23, 2022.

[13] Ilka Schweikl: Biathlon Beijing 2022: Norwegian men's relay wins gold – Germany misses podium on xc-ski.de. February 15, 2022. Accessed October 23, 2022.

[14] : Norwegian biathlete Laegreid absent due to COVID-19 on sueddeutsche.de. March 1, 2023. Accessed April 17, 2023.

[15] Thomas von Eichhorn: Biathlon World Cup: Frustration for Norway’s gold collector Sturla Holm Lægreid - "Miles behind"' on eurosport.de. December 4, 2023. Accessed April 27, 2024.

[16] "Biathlon: Fünfmaliger Weltmeister Lægreid schießt versehentlich im Teamhotel". 17 December 2023 – via www.spiegel.de.

[17] ttps://www.rnd.de/sport/biathlon-auf-schalke-bei-world-team-challenge-kein-heimsieg-aber-podestplaetze-2GL4ZBBA4JAIPDEYIDICQNCLN4.html

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v t e World champions in biathlon – 4 × 7.5 km mixed relay
4 × 7.5 km	2005: (Olga Pyleva, Svetlana Ishmouratova, Ivan Tcherezov, Nikolay Kruglov Jr.) 2006: (Anna Bogaliy-Titovets, Sergei Tchepikov, Irina Malgina, Nikolay Kruglov Jr.) 2021: (Sturla Holm Lægreid, Johannes Thingnes Bø, Tiril Eckhoff, Marte Olsbu Røiseland)
2 × 6 km + 2 × 7.5 km	2007: (Helena Jonsson, Anna Carin Olofsson, Björn Ferry, Carl Johan Bergman) 2008: (Sabrina Buchholz, Magdalena Neuner, Andreas Birnbacher, Michael Greis) 2009: (Marie-Laure Brunet, Sylvie Becaert, Vincent Defrasne, Simon Fourcade) 2010: (Simone Hauswald, Magdalena Neuner, Simon Schempp, Arnd Peiffer) 2011: (Tora Berger, Ann Kristin Aafedt Flatland, Ole Einar Bjørndalen, Tarjei Bø) 2012: (Tora Berger, Synnøve Solemdal, Ole Einar Bjørndalen, Emil Hegle Svendsen) 2013: (Tora Berger, Synnøve Solemdal, Tarjei Bø, Emil Hegle Svendsen) 2015: (Veronika Vítková, Gabriela Soukalová, Michal Šlesingr, Ondřej Moravec) 2016: (Anaïs Bescond, Marie Dorin Habert, Quentin Fillon Maillet, Martin Fourcade) 2017: (Vanessa Hinz, Laura Dahlmeier, Arnd Peiffer, Simon Schempp) 2019: (Marte Olsbu Røiseland, Tiril Eckhoff, Johannes Thingnes Bø, Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen)
4 × 6 km	2020: (Marte Olsbu Røiseland, Tiril Eckhoff, Tarjei Bø, Johannes Thingnes Bø) 2023: (Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, Marte Olsbu Røiseland, Sturla Holm Lægreid, Johannes Thingnes Bø) 2024: (Éric Perrot, Quentin Fillon Maillet, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, Julia Simon)