Biathlon star suffers from a rare consequence of the corona vaccination - career on hold for five months

Created: 10/31/2022, 9:10 am

By: Marius Epp

Biathlete Sivert Bakken has to take a long compulsory break.

© IMAGO/JON OLAV NESVOLD

After-effects of the corona vaccination have put Norwegian biathlete Sivert Bakken out of action for months.

His season is as good as over.

Lillehammer - Winter sports enthusiasts toil in the summer to get their bodies in top shape for the start of the winter season.

The same applies to biathlon: Only those who lay the foundation on roller skates can be successful in winter.

But for biathlete Sivert Bakken, the summer went very differently than planned.

After last season, the Norwegian was vaccinated against the corona virus for the third time.

At the end of May he realized that something was wrong with his body.

"Something didn't work in training, the body felt tired," reports the 24-year-old on Norwegian broadcaster TV2.

Biathlon: Sivert Bakken out of action for five months after corona vaccination

“So I went to see a doctor and stopped training altogether.

Then it got worse and worse.

I had physical discomfort and pressure in my chest,” says Bakken.

A heart muscle inflammation was diagnosed, which prevents the athlete from practicing his sport for the next five months.

According to Bakker, it is "almost 100 percent certain" that the heart inflammation was caused by the booster vaccination.

His team doctor Ola Berger explained: "He had no other infectious diseases in the same period.

Corona vaccine is the only thing he did that could possibly cause this kind of heart inflammation.”

Biathlon star Bakken suffers from a rare consequence of the corona vaccination

At the same time, however, he rightly pointed out that this was a rare side effect of the corona vaccine.

Bakker had "bad luck".

Pericarditis (inflammation of the sac around the heart) and myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) were added to the list of rare side effects of the corona vaccine by the European Medicines Commission (EMA) last summer.

Berger estimates that such a disease occurs in one in 100,000 vaccinated people, and current medical findings confirm this. A study by the University of Oxford showed that the risk of myocarditis/pericarditis with a corona infection is higher than with a vaccination.

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Heart inflammation in biathlete Bakker: "Very bad for someone whose capital is their own body"

"He'll most likely be fully recovered, but he's lost momentum and will likely miss much of the season," Berger continued.

"There are worse diagnoses, but it's very bad for someone whose capital is their own body." It is still unclear when Bakker will be able to start training again as usual.

But Bakker will probably be able to continue his career – in contrast to a 24-year-old alpine ski ace.

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