The death of 27-year-old Norwegian athlete Sievert Bakken was a real shock for the entire biathlon world. Many World Cup participants were close friends with him and were very happy when he finally returned to the elite, began to take high places and even qualify for a place on the Olympic team.

The news about the tragedy that happened to a talented athlete was even more terrible for the biathlon community. The leaders of the world biathlon immediately reacted and expressed condolences, but the overly active interest of the media literally infuriated the leader of the Italian team, Tommaso Giacomel.

“You should be ashamed”

Bakken’s tragic passing is still shrouded in mystery. The Norwegian Biathlon Association reported that the athlete died in his hotel room in Italy. Acting Secretary General of the Norwegian Biathlon Association Emily Nordskar said in an interview with NRK that she is constantly in touch with the local police, but no details have been disclosed at the moment.

A spokesman for the Carabinieri police operations center in the Cavalese region told NRK that the organization was “still trying to figure out what happened.” After finishing last week’s World Cup in Le Grand-Bornand in France, Bakken headed to Italy to celebrate Christmas in the highlands. He was to be accompanied by World Cup leader Johan-Olav Botn.

Another Norwegian portal VG also does not have data on the cause of the biathlete’s death, but talks about a memorial service in Lillehammer, which was attended by more than 100 people. In many Norwegian publications, the Bakken tragedy predictably took the front pages, but such attention infuriated the Italian biathlete Tommaso Giacomel. One of the World Cup leaders became very angry because journalists attacked him with calls and questions.

“I don’t plan to tell any newspaper what happened there.” I’m taking a break from communication at least until the stage in Oberhof. Several journalists called me at once and asked if I knew Sievert and how well. I want to say that you should be ashamed of this. You need to know the definition of respect,” Giacomel wrote on social networks.

Tommaso Giacomel / Photo: © Kevin Voigt / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

“This is the most tragic news imaginable.”

Of course, mostly Bakken’s friends and colleagues express their condolences and leave very touching words. The sudden and difficult loss is mourned by the International Biathlon Union (IBU), many former and current members of the Norwegian national team, and foreign athletes.

“It’s hard for me to put it into words.” “I feel incredibly sad and think it’s very unfair that such a fantastic guy like Siewert is no longer with us,” retired Olympic champion Johannes Boe told VG.

– It’s hard to describe. Just a shock. He was the most persistent man in the world. He trained and, step by step, rose to the top of the world. And then this happens… This is the most tragic news imaginable,” said the legendary Ole Einar Bjoerndalen to VG.

“We are shocked by the news of the sudden death of Sievert Bakken. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, teammates and everyone who was close to him at this difficult time. “Rest in peace, Sievert,” the IBU said in a statement.

— About 10 years ago we stood on the pedestal together. Now I am in complete shock that we will not repeat this again,” wrote French biathlete Emilien Claude on social networks.

Sievert Backen / Photo: © Jon Olav Nesvold / Keystone Press Agency / Global Look Press

“Fly High Like an Angel”

One of Bakken’s close friends was the same Italian Giacomel. In addition to criticizing the media for its tactlessness, Tommaso wrote an incredibly touching post on social networks, where he shared his feelings and expressed sincere condolences.

— Dear Siewert, I’m just devastated. We wanted to ski together that day, but you never came. We wanted to celebrate Christmas and New Year together, but you won’t be here either. Life gave you difficulties, but you overcame them. And now this happened. Not fair… You became one of my best friends largely because of your smile, human qualities, and intelligence. You will always hold a special place in my heart. We will continue to pursue our dream of being the two best biathletes in the world. Fly high like an angel,” wrote Jacomel.

The beloved of the Norwegian biathlete responded to the death of her boyfriend on social networks with one short but very succinct sentence: “Thank you for everything, dear Sievert.”

It is still completely unclear what could have happened to the talented biathlete, whose career was going up again. Two days before the tragedy, Bakken competed with other biathlon stars in the mass start in front of thousands of fans, and two days earlier he finished in the top 5 in the sprint. He was 13th in the overall standings and could fight for a ticket to the Olympics. However, now the whole world is talking about the Norwegian in connection with his sudden and mysterious death.