OLYMPICS: Biathlon-Samuelsson puts struggles behind him to secure relay bronze for Sweden

ANTERSELVA, Italy – Sweden's Sebastian Samuelsson added a bronze medal to his Olympic collection on Wednesday in the men's 4 x 7.5km biathlon relay at the Milan Cortina Games, with France claiming gold and Norway taking silver.

The 28-year-old, who won gold in the same event at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, anchored Sweden on the final leg. Though he could not catch the French and Norwegian teams, Samuelsson focused on securing a podium finish for his country.

“It snowed the whole morning, so we knew it was going to be tough out there, and it was,” Samuelsson told Reuters. “The support crew that prepared my skis had their work cut out for them because of the weather. It’s difficult for all the waxing teams, and even if they get it exactly right, it’s still heavy going in the snow. On the last lap, I tried to catch them, but they were too far ahead, so I just celebrated the bronze.”

Ranked third in the world entering the Games, Samuelsson has struggled to find his best form in Anterselva. Still, he earned his third Olympic medal, adding to his 2018 relay gold and silver from the pursuit race at the same Games.

“I was very happy with my sprint performance on Friday, which was great, but no medal,” he said. “I’ve had worse races before and still ended up on the podium. This time I wasn’t, but that’s how it goes in biathlon. I was most disappointed in the pursuit, where I didn’t feel in the fight for some reason. Now I shot clean in the last shooting, and I’m excited about the mass start on Friday – one more race to go.” -Reporting by Philip O'ConnorEditing by Toby Davis/Reuters