'A bit of a laugh' - Final three athletes organise their own race in men's 15km mass start at Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics
Published 20/02/2026 at 17:05 GMT
React to this story
Norway's Johannes Dale-Skjevdal and Sturla Holm Laegreid were celebrating as they took gold and silver respectively in the men's 15km mass start at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. While they crossed the line with leads over their closest competitors, there was some drama in the race to avoid finishing last between Campbell Wright, Nicola Romanin and Fabien Claude.
'Have you ever seen that?' - Three biathletes stage impromptu sprint to end race
Video credit: TNT Sports
There is rarely time for consequence-free fun at the Winter Olympics, where athletes go to etch their names in the history books and reach the pinnacle of their careers.
Medals are on the line and margins are fine, and every millisecond counts.
That is certainly the case in biathlon, where Team Norway were celebrating again at Milano Cortina 2026 as Johannes Dale-Skjevdal took gold and Sturla Holm Laegreid claimed silver in the men's 15km mass start on Friday.
France's Quentin Fillon Maillet won bronze, but it was a trio of biathletes at the back who caught the eye at the very end of the race.
Team USA's Campbell Wright, Italy's Nicola Romanin and France's Fabien Claude turned the final corner together, and it seemed they would cruise over the line having failed to keep pace with the leaders.
Instead, they decided to create their own mini-race, stopping short of the final stretch and counting down for a dramatic but stakes-free sprint finish.
- Kenworthy through to halfpipe final with hope for more Team GB medals, huge Melville Ives shock
- Alysa Liu’s key to success? ‘Take a break’
"What's this!?" asked Orla Chennaoui in the TNT Sports studio.
"What we're seeing right now is that they've agreed to have a sprint finish towards the line," said Scott Dixon. "These guys are at the back, the last three still to finish."
"Absolutely brilliant. Have you ever seen that?" said Chennaoui.
Dixon replied: "Very rarely, it has happened, but not with three. I've only seen it with two before. A bit of a laugh."
It was Claude who came out on top in the sprint finish after getting a better launch than his two rivals.
"The last three are going for a sprint. This is what we want to see. Where's your money?" said Patrick Winterton on TNT Sports commentary.
"Not a bad bit of injection from Fabien Claude. He's missed plenty of targets, but he's still got a bit of spark in the legs.
"He's won something today, 5:56 behind the winner, and I bet that was orchestrated by one Campbell Wright."
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2026/02/19/image-c77038da-c5aa-406c-8a31-69cac25860e1-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
Klopp lands surprise role at Olympic Winter Games
Video credit: TNT Sports
How to watch the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games
TNT Sports and discovery+ is the go-to destination in the UK to watch all of Milano Cortina 2026 live, with more than 850 hours of action from every sport, venue and medal event.
Coverage is available to the widest audience ever, with discovery+ customers across all plans - starting at £3.99/month in the UK and €4.99/month in Ireland - able to access comprehensive live coverage with 24/7 coverage available through TNT Sports 2 and a selection of live event feeds.
TNT Sports 2 serves as the primary Olympic destination, offering more than 200 hours of live event coverage, studio programming, replays and highlights, delivering round-the-clock storytelling from Milano Cortina across all 17 days of competition.
WBD’s coverage of the Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026 began on Wednesday, February 4 ahead of the Opening Ceremony at the iconic San Siro stadium on Friday 6 February, running until the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, February 22.
Watch every event of Milano Cortina 2026 live on discovery+. Available across all subscription plans, starting at £3.99.
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement