Zebastian Modin, who competes in the visually impaired class, was second in the qualifying round and second in the semifinals. When it came to the medals in the final, the Swede dropped a place - but still won his ninth Paralympic medal of his career.
The 31-year-old is blind, while the three other finalists have some vision. Therefore, Zebastian Modin started with a 20-second head start over the others, but it wasn't enough.
"They came so damn fast. I didn't have a hat, like. They were better," Modin told SVT afterwards.
American Jake Adicoff and Chinese Yu Shuang quickly caught up to and passed him, and in the end it was a battle to secure the bronze medal ahead of Norwegian Thomas Oxaal. Modin did this without problems together with his Finnish guide Emil Talsi.
"You're not a champion. It's still pretty good," said Modin, who was 6.2 seconds behind gold medalist Adicoff, who finished just ahead of Yu.
In Italy, Zebastian Modin is competing at the Paralympics for the fifth time. He has previously won four silver and four bronze medals.
"When I get home tonight I'll probably be satisfied. The medal is the important thing," said Modin.
Corrected: In a previous version, the wrong number of Paralympics that Modin participated in was stated.
Facts: Zebastian Modin
Born: June 20, 1994 (age 31), in Frösö parish.
Club: Östersunds SK.
Sports: Parasports (long-distance and biathlon).
Guide: Emil Talsi.
Main achievements: Four Paralympic silver medals (sprint and mixed relay 2014, sprint 2018, 12.5 km 2022) and five Paralympic bronze medals (sprint 2010, 20 km 2014, sprint and 20 km 2022 and sprint 2026). Eleven World Cup medals, five of which are gold. Winner of the overall World Cup in long distance seven times.
Disability: Blind. Modin was born with the eye disease glaucoma and after a botched operation when he was six, he lost all vision in his left eye. When he was twelve, he also lost the vision in his right.
Class: NS1, skaters with blindness, compete with dark glasses. Competes against skaters in classes NS2 and NS3, with minor vision impairments.
Source: Swedish Paralympic Committee.
