The emotion could already be seen behind his glasses even though he had not yet crossed the finish line. This Thursday, Tommaso Giacomel won at the end of the sprint in Oberhof, Germany. The pre-race was marked by the tribute paid to Sivert Bakken, found dead in his hotel room in Italy on December 23.
A few words were said by the German announcer before the broadcast of a video in honor of the deceased. The biathletes were lined up, the cameras focused on Giacomel, a close friend of the Norwegian.
The Italian appeared extremely moved during this ceremony. On the track, he gave everything to pocket the victory and dedicate it to Bakken. As soon as the line was cut, the Transalpine pointed a finger towards the sky. He then took refuge in the arms of one of his Norwegian adversaries.
“This is one of the most ambivalent days of my life. It’s one of the saddest and also one of the most beautiful in sporting terms, commented Giacomel on Eurosport. It was a lot of mixed feelings. I think Sivert would be very proud of me. Before starting I wanted to try to regain my calm, to put myself back into racing mode so as not to think about that. In the last loop, my coach told me to do it for myself and for Sivert. »
