Biathlon: Johannes Thingnes Boe in demonstration
This weekend in Oslo-Holmenkollen (Norway), the Boe brothers are celebrating their jubilee at the 2024/2025 Biathlon World Cup Finals. For the last weekend of their careers, the Norwegians have the good weather – a blazing sun under a brilliant blue sky – on their side. While Tarjei was forced to withdraw from the day’s sprint due to a fever, Johannes was in fine form a week after falling ill in Slovenia.
For the last sprint of his immense career – which was also the 100th of his life at the highest international level – the king of biathlon delivered a perfect performance. Although he didn’t show off his aerial prowess on the Oslo cross-country skiing track, as in his heyday, Johannes Thingnes Boe’s shooting was nothing to write home about. Shooting 10/10, a rare feat on Friday among the favourites, he simply didn’t give his rivals the slightest chance of battling with him for success.
With the red bib on his back, the Scandinavian won after 24 min 49 sec 5 of effort, taking the 91st (and perhaps final) victory of his career.
More generally, in front of their home crowd, it was the entire Norwegian team that stood out from the rest: the yellow bib Sturla Holm Lægreid (10/10) was second at 25 seconds 7 seconds to retain the jersey with a margin of 89 points, Johannes Dale-Skjevdal (9/10) third at 36 seconds 7 seconds, Isak Frey (9/10) fourth at 46 seconds 6 seconds and Vebjoern Soerum (8/10) fifth at 59 seconds 8 seconds.
No flower ceremony for the French
Only Italy’s Tommaso Giacomel (8/10), sixth at 1 min 1 sec 1, was not Norwegian in the flower ceremony. Seventh at 1 min 5 sec 4, Quentin Fillon-Maillet (8/10) put in the best French performance of the day, while Bassurois Emilien Claude (10/10), ninth at 1 min 18 sec 8, also made it into the top 10. Eric Perrot (8/10) was thirteenth.
A much more difficult day for Fabien Claude (8/10), thirty-third, and Oscar Lombardot (10/10), fifty-fifth and suffering from an illness. Dauphinois Emilien Jacquelin (5/10), who was battling for the small globe in the sprint, totally cracked, finishing sixty-third. He will therefore not be taking part in Saturday’s pursuit.
A warm-up for the biathlon World Cup finals in Oslo with the men’s sprint!
2 Frenchmen in the TOP 10:
7️⃣ Quentin Fillon Maillet
9️⃣ Emilien Claude
Women’s race ⌚ 16:20
📷 Nordic Focus pic.twitter.com/wqrmOxovBb– FFS – Fédération Française de Ski (@FedFranceSki) March 21, 2025
Live data from sprints
Full results
- The full programme for the Oslo-Holmenkollen World Cup, the ninth and final stage of the 2024/2025 season
- Oslo-Holmenkollen World Cup: the full programme for the presentation of the crystal globes
- Corinne Niogret: my best memory of… Oslo-Holmenkollen
- Firsts for Camille Bened and Amandine Mengin, the boys’ sevens: the French team selection for the Oslo-Holmenkollen World Cup finals
- “I want to show myself at my best”: how Camille Bened approached her first steps on the World Cup sprint circuit in Oslo-Holmenkollen
- Chloé Bened’s pride after her older sister Camille Bened won the IBU Cup overall and was selected for the World Cup: “She’s our star, our champion, our idol”.
- Amandine Mengin on the eve of her World Cup debut in Oslo-Holmenkollen: “I have no idea why my season has taken such a turn for the worse…”.
- “She’ll remember this season for the rest of her life”: long-time friend and team-mate Maëla Correia talks about Amandine Mengin, who is about to discover the World Cup in Oslo-Holmenkollen.
- “Help them to repeat what they have done so far”: what Cyril Burdet expects from Camille Bened and Amandine Mengin at their first World Cup in Oslo-Holmenkollen.
- “The small sprint globe is up for grabs”: in addition to the overall podium, Emilien Jacquelin will be going for the crystal in Oslo-Holmenkollen.
- Race for the big crystal globe: the sprint in the Oslo-Holmenkollen finals, a decisive stage in Lou Jeanmonnot’s quest
