Team Rosters: How the Big Squads Stack Up ahead of Olympic Season
Training for the 2025/26 Olympic season has already kicked off with team rosters set. Power nations Norway, Sweden, France and Germany announced their team rosters a few weeks back; many larger than usual, one smaller with a just a few surprising changes.
Norway’s non-Boe Roster
Norway announced its first non-Boe roster headed by World Cup Total Score winner Sturla Holm Laegreid. Beyond Laegreid, Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen, despite a mid-season demotion to the IBU Cup returned to the A Team along with Johannes Dale-Skjevdal providing the veteran presence. The remaining three spots went to youthful Endre Stroemsheim, Martin Uldal and Vebjoern Soerum; the latter two filling the Boe brothers' spots. IBU Cup stars Isak Frey, Sivert Bakken, Johan Olav Botn and Sverre Dahlen Aspenes returned to the IBU Cup group. Stroemsheim, Soerum, and Uldal all own World Cup wins, but are relatively inexperienced with a combined 117 starts compared to the three veteran’s 529!
Knotten on her Own
The Norwegian Women’s A team roster surprised many, excluding Total Score 14th place Karoline Offigstad Knotten, the relay team leadoff leg and a Lenzerheide Relay Silver medalist. Knotten, preparing outside of the team with former national team coach Roger Grubben was baffled, “I just want to do the best job possible in the Olympic Season.”
Sans Knotten, the women’s squad is headed by Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold and Maren Kirkeeide, with supporting players Juni Arnekleiv, Ragnhild Femsteinevik and Marthe Krakstad Johansen.
Sweden’s Veteran-Oriented Squad
Sweden’s Olympic prospects are built around a reliable trio of Sebastian Samuelsson, Martin Ponsiluoma and Jesper Nelin, 5th, 15th and 22nd in the Total Score, Anton Ivarsson, Malte Stefansson and Viktor Brandt fill the remaining spots.
The Oeberg sisters lead the women’s team with Anna Magnusson and Linn Gestblom (nee Persson) adding to the experienced veteran presence. Gestblom, a reliable 89% shooter returns after sitting out last winter to fully recover from a second shoulder surgery.
Rising star Ella Halvarsson, 18th in the Total Score, talented Anna-Karin Heijdenberg and Sara Andersson add depth. The Swedes surprised, returning 30-year-old Johanna Skottheim to the top team after a rebounding 2024/25 season.
French Focus on Five Women
The dominant French teams offered no surprises, beyond an exclusively small women’s team. Lou Jeanmonnot, Julia Simon, Oceane Michelon, Jeanne Richard and Justine Braisaz Bouchet, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 8th in the Total Score comprise the women’s A squad. With this small group coaches Cyril Burdet, Jean Paul Giachino and Patrick Favre will provide maximum individual attention to each athlete. With France’s 7 WC starts in mind, the B team will frequently train with the top squad.
Seven French Men
The men’s A team led by Simon Fourcade and Jean Pierre Amat went from five last season back to seven. The core group includes Eric Perrot, Quentin Fillon Maillet, Emilie Jacquelin, Fabien and Emilien Claude, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 12th and 21st in the Total Score. After solid results, veteran Antonin Guigonnat, 24th in the Total Score returns from the IBU Cup, with 93% shooter Oscar Lombardot earning the final spot.
Preuss Leads Germans
Like close rivals France and Sweden, the German’s 1a teams boast large rosters with eight women and eight men vying for World Cup and Olympic spots. The women’s team boasts World Cup Total Score winner Franziska Preuss and number nine Selina Grotian. Vanessa Voigt returns after missing much of last season with fatigue, while Janina Hettich-Walz is back from maternity leave.19-year-old Julia Tannheimer returns for her second World Cup season and IBU OECH double Gold medalist Johanna Puff steps up from the IBU Cup.
The men’s team stood pat with Philipp Nawrath and sharpshooter Justus Strelow leading the way. Danillo Riethmueller and Philipp Horn, who scored World Cup career bests of third and fourth, respectively last season fit in with the veteran Johannes Kuehn, battling for relay spots.
Photos: IBU/Christian Manzoni, Archive
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