Biathlon: a new record for Johannes Thingnes Boe before retirement
It has long been clear that Johannes Thingnes Boe is one of the greats. And yet, the Norwegian is not satisfied and he proved it again on Saturday in the sprint of the biathlon world championships in Lenzerheide (Switzerland).
Although he recently announced that he would be calling time on his career at the end of this winter, the 31-year-old biathlete seems to be on a mission. For his last World Championships, the Scandinavian was eating his heart out after seeing the medals slip from his grasp in the mixed relay, where he made an incredible comeback.
In the first individual event of this fortnight in the canton of Grisons, the man with five Olympic titles didn’t want to let his chance slip through his fingers. And it has to be said that he did it in style. Simply unplayable, he began with a perfect 10/10 to ensure a solid lead.
Johannes Thingnes Boe, who also set the fastest ski time, mastered his task to perfection. When he crossed the line, the native of Stryn (Norway) had won by a margin of more than 27 seconds over the surprising American Campbell Wright.
A victory that also meant his twenty-first world gold medal, a new all-time record since he has now overtaken his compatriot Ole Einar Bjoerndalen: “To be crowned world champion at my last World Championships is even better than I had hoped,” he confided , visibly moved, to TV2 in the mixed zone.
“I’ve really done it allJohannes Thingnes Boe on TV2
A perfect day that couldn’t have got the biathlete with five crystal globes off to a better start ahead of Sunday’s pursuit, where he will be aiming for another title. “I was in great shape on the skis and my shots were really good. I controlled my race well and I had the right strategy,” he says with a smile. I really pulled it off. I’m going to miss that feeling of being the best in the world .
Read also
- Lenzerheide: Johannes Thingnes Boe wins the sprint to become the most gold medal-winning biathlete in the history of the World Championships
- Lenzerheide: Johannes Thingnes Boe crushes the sprint to win a fourth world gold medal in the speciality, Quentin Fillon-Maillet with a tan
