Biathlon: Norway’s Johan-Olav Botn strikes hard from the start
After the announcement of the retirement of king Johannes Thingnes Boe, Eric Perrot, a connoisseur, predicted: “He will soon be replaced by another Norwegian”. On Wednesday afternoon, during the individual race inÖstersund (Sweden), which opened the 2025/2026 World Cup, the kingdom’s biathletes proved the Peiserot right.
Four days after a relay they dominated, the Norwegians put in a great collective performance in the biathletes’ marathon.
Up front was Johan-Olav Botn. In his ninth start on the big circuit, the 26-year-old from Lillehammer (Norway) simply put on a show. Like Johannes Thingnes Boe in his heyday, the Scandinavian clocked the fastest time on the cross-country track and a 20/20 on the mats.
It’s quite simple: this is the very first time in his career that Johan-Olav Botn has scored a perfect shot in an international race with four passes behind the rifle. It was his first World Cup success, and he took the yellow overall leader’s bib at the same time.
Behind him, the Norwegian party was completed by Martin Uldal (20/20), second at 57 secs 7, the returning Sivert Guttorm Bakken (19/20), fourth at 1 min 41 secs 3, and Sturla Holm Lægreid (19/20), fifth at 2 min 10 secs 5.
Eric Perrot, tenth, is the best Frenchman, with Emilien Jacquelin and Quentin Fillon-Maillet in the top 15.
The third step on the podium was taken at home by Sweden’s Sebastian Samuelsson (19/20), just one minute behind , while the sixth and final member of the 100% Norwegian-Swedish flower ceremony was Jesper Nelin (19/20).
For France, the shooting wasn’t up to the task of hoping for anything at the front. Eric Perrot (18/20) was tenth, Emilien Jacquelin (18/20) eleventh, Quentin Fillon-Maillet (17/20) fifteenth, Fabien Claude (16/20) twenty-sixth, Emilien Claude (18/20) thirty-eighth and Antonin Guigonnat (17/20) forty-fifth.
Full results
C73A_v1-1- The full programme for the Östersund World Cup, the first stage of the 2025/2026 season
- Caroline Colombo: my best memory of… Österusnd
- “When it performs, it creates momentum”: the relays on the opening weekend of the World Cup in Östersund, important events to get the French team on the right track
- Östersund: Jeanne Richard, Océane Michelon, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Lou Jeanmonnot dominate the women’s relay, the first race of the winter season
- “It’s a great team effort”: on their first outing of the winter in Östersund, Les Bleues have already won the World Cup
- Östersund: France’s Fabien Claude, Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Emilien Jacquelin and Eric Perrot second in the relay won by Norway
- “A good relay in tempo”: behind the Norwegians in the Östersund relay, the French get their winter off to a good start
- “There’s this desire to go for the greatest medal of all”: beaten by Norway in the first relay of the season, Les Bleus have their sights set on Olympic gold
- Östersund: Sweden win the mixed singles relay ahead of Norway, Fabien Claude and Camille Bened third for France
- “It’s important in a career”: Camille Bened takes her first World Cup relay podium finish in the mixed singles relay in Östersund
- “It’s wonderful to see her so happy and fulfilled”: former biathlete Chloé Bened reacts emotionally to her older sister Camille Bened’s first World Cup podium finish.
- Östersund: Emilien Jacquelin, Eric Perrot, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Lou Jeanmonnot win the mixed relay for France
- Östersund World Cup: Corinne Niogret’s debrief (relays)
- Point 15.6.3.c. of the IBU regulations: why can the French women’s team field seven biathletes in Östersund?
- Östersund: in the opening individual race, Lou Jeanmonnot will wear the red bib, Franziska Preuss the yellow jersey
- Östersund: Dorothea Wierer triumphs in the individual event ahead of Sonja Leinamo and Camille Bened, who takes her first solo podium finish
- Östersund: five years later, Dorothea Wierer dons the yellow bib again
- “It’s the fruit of a lot of hard work”: an emotional Camille Bened talks about her third place in the Östersund individual event
- “I had to be extra vigilant all the time”: Camille Bened reveals why she took the (winning) gamble of having her left shoulder operated on last April
- Camille Bened as told by her first coach Martin Bouchet after her podium finish in Östersund: “She was already a great fighter who never gave up”.
- Östersund: Camille Bened became the eleventh Frenchwoman to finish on an individual World Cup podium since the start of the 2022/2023 season.
- “I feel like I’m dreaming”: an unexpected first podium for Sonja Leinamo
- Maya Cloetens, sixth in the Östersund individual, takes part in her first World Cup flower ceremony: “It’s just crazy, I don’t realise it yet”.
- “I’m taking my toll with every lap”: twenty-ninth in the first race of the winter in Östersund, Franziska Preuss worries about her fitness
- Ahead of the first individual race of the winter, Eric Perrot told Nordic Magazine : “I really feel ready to take part in the general classification”.
