A Bjoerndalen back on top in Sandnes
The 2026 Blink Festival in Sandnes delivered one of its most memorable biathlon evenings on Friday, as Sivert Bjoerndalen — nephew of Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, the most decorated Winter Olympian in history with 13 Olympic medals — defeated France's Océane Michelon in the gender-mixed super final to claim the shooting competition crown. The result ensured a historic name is once again making headlines in Norwegian biathlon, while Michelon's dominance across the women's programme stamped France as the team to watch heading into winter.
The super-final format is unique to the Blink Festival: the top men's and women's finishers in the shooting competition meet in a head-to-head duel before thousands of spectators in Sandnes. Sivert Bjoerndalen had qualified for the decider by winning the men's shooting event earlier in the day; Michelon arrived having swept the women's side. When the final targets were cleared, it was the Norwegian who prevailed, giving the home crowd precisely the moment they had hoped for.
Sivert is building his own career independent of his uncle's legendary weight — Ole Einar accumulated 13 Olympic medals and eight gold medals across a career that defined an era — but on home soil, in front of the Sandnes faithful, the family name inevitably amplifies every victory.
Michelon sweeps the women's programme
Océane Michelon was the standout performer of the evening. The Savoie athlete won the women's shooting competition, recorded the fastest time in the super sprint qualifier and converted that form into victory in the women's super sprint final itself. Julia Simon finished second and Jeanne Richard came through to fifth place, completing a strong collective showing for France.
Six French women reached the super sprint finals, and the French men were equally prominent: three of the top four places in the men's super sprint went to French athletes. For French biathlon's coaching staff, the Blink results offer strong material for selection discussions ahead of the summer Grand Prix and the World Cup opener.
Christiansen fends off French siege in men's sprint
In the men's super sprint final, Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen held off a determined French challenge to take the victory. Eric Perrot crossed second, Emilien Claude took third and Oscar Lombardot came fourth — three of the top four in French colours. Both Claude and Lombardot had earlier missed the podium in the men's shooting competition, making their sprint performances a sharper statement of their overall ability.
Christiansen was precise on the shooting range and fast on the rollerski course throughout, showing the controlled form expected of an experienced World Cup campaigner. His win, alongside Bjoerndalen's in the shooting segment and super final, gave Norway two of the evening's headline titles on home ground.
Mass starts close the festival on Saturday
The biathlon schedule at the 2026 Blink Festival concludes on Saturday with the mass starts, the format that most closely mirrors World Cup racing. Quarter-finals are scheduled for 16:05 CEST, semi-finals for 19:22 and the grand final for 20:25 CEST. With titles already secured and both French and Norwegian athletes in strong form, Saturday evening in Sandnes should deliver a compelling finish to the week before squads return to full winter preparation.