Winter Olympics Hopeful, 27, Found Dead at Training Camp in Italy – Globe Magazine

Instagram/Sivert Guttorm Bakken

Sivert Guttorm Bakken, a Norwegian athlete who was hoping to compete in the biathlon at the Winter Olympics, was found dead in his hotel room in Lavaze, Italy, according to Norway’s NRK television outlet, via the AP, on Tuesday, December 23.

The Lillehammer, Norway, native was 27.

Bakken, who won the gold medal for the 10-kilometer sprint at the European championships earlier this year, was training for the Milano Cortina Olympics in February.

Instagram/Sivert Guttorm Bakken

He had been diagnosed with myocarditis after the 2022 season.

“The IBU is deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic news of Sivert Bakken’s sudden death,” IBU president Olle Dahlin said in a statement to the AP.

“Sivert’s comeback to biathlon after a period of great hardship was a source of immense joy for everyone in the biathlon family,” Dahlin added, “and an inspiring demonstration of his resilience and determination.”