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Death of biathlete Sivert Bakken – ex-girlfriend speaks out
Norwegian biathlete Sivert Bakken was found dead in his hotel room the day before Christmas. Shortly before his own competition, his ex-girlfriend honored him.
The Norwegian biathlete Sivert Boy worm Bakken was found dead in his hotel room on December 23rd. At the time of his death he was training at the high altitude camp of Lavazè in South Tyrol.
The cause of death is still unclear almost a week later. However, first responders found the 27-year-old with an altitude training mask on his face.
According to Norwegian newspaper VG, the mask was set at an altitude of 7,000 meters above sea level. The air that Bakken breathed through the mask therefore contained only a very small amount of oxygen. Even for top athletes, a long stay at an altitude with these conditions is fatal.
A law firm assigned to the investigation by Bakken’s family said: “It is too early to comment. Italian police have routinely confiscated items and equipment from the room and will continue to investigate.” As soon as the firm has access to the police documents and the preliminary forensic investigation report, it will comment.
Sivert Bakken: Ex-girlfriend speaks out
Before the start of the Biathlon World Team Challenge in the Arena on Schalke, Bakken’s ex-girlfriend Juni Arnekleiv commented. The 26-year-old is also a biathlete and was in a relationship with Bakken until last year.
Arnekleiv told Norwegian broadcaster NRK: “It was a very different and sad Christmas after we received the news that Sivert had been found dead in his room in Lavazè. It is shocking news that I still cannot understand.”
She continued: “I just have to take each day as it comes. It’s impossible to prepare for how your feelings and your body will react in the future. Be it during training, competitions or when you return to Lillehammer and get back into everyday life.”
She and her teammate Mats Överby discussed whether they should take part in the competition at Schalke or not. “But we knew that for Sivert everything has always revolved around biathlon. We’re taking part in Schalke to remember him. The three of us are competing today.”
Bakken’s death shocks the biathlon world
Bakken’s autopsy was carried out in Italy over Christmas. “It is not expected that any further information about the death will be provided to the media until the preliminary report from the coroner’s investigation is available early next week,” the family’s law firm said.
Bakken was once considered a great talent. He made his World Cup debut in March 2022. In the same year he also achieved a World Cup victory. But shortly afterwards a health setback caught up with him and he suffered an inflammation of the heart muscle. It wasn’t until the 2024/25 season that he made his comeback in the IBU Cup, where he achieved several podium finishes.
This winter, Bakken also returned to the World Cup squad and achieved several top ten finishes. Most recently he came fifth in the last sprint race of the year in Le Grand-Bornand, France.
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