Biathlon | “It’s a real nightmare” : 85th in Ruhpolding, Johannes Thingnes Boe put in the worst World Cup performance of his career

Biathlon : Johannes Thingnes Boe worries in Germany

An individual biathlon World Cup race often has its share of surprises. This Wednesday, on the slopes of the Chiemgau Arena in Ruhpolding (Germany), this was once again the case. And in the middle of the afternoon, it was Johannes Thingnes Boe who paid the price.

Faulty five times in front of the targets in an event where the slightest miss resulted in a one-minute penalty, the Norwegian lost his footing. With no bearings on the shooting range, the world number one was a shadow of his former self. Eighty-fifth at the finish, he achieved the worst result of his elite career.

Disappointed by his performance, the Scandinavian was even close to retiring. Ready to put his foot down at the end of the fourth shot, he was finally encouraged by Frenchman Emilien Jacquelin to close the day’s race. A powerful image that the man with five crystal globes doesn’t usually let show.

It was an attitude that prompted reactions from a few journalists, as well as from some of the old faces in the business, just a few minutes after the event: “It was shocking to see. The first three shots were worrying. I’m a bit worried and I hope he finds a solution,” says Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, now a consultant for NRK.

Johannes Thingnes Boe was eagerly awaited to explain what had happened to him after this rout, but he did not linger long in the mixed zone. “It’s been a real nightmare, especially in terms of my fitness. I’m incredibly tired and when I come to shoot, it’s very difficult,” he admitted, still stunned by his poor performance. It’s simply bad. My podium in Oberhof was a bit misleading. It’s taking me longer to recover from the illness than I’d hoped.

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