Biathlon | “We need to stress him out”: Sebastian Samuelsson explains how to beat Johannes Thingnes Boe, his goal for the coming season

Biathlon: Sebastian Samuelsson still believes

In May 2023, after a season in which he was crowned mass-start world champion and finished third in the final overall World Cup standings , Sweden’s Sebastian Samuelsson announced his intentions: to look Johannes Thingnes Boe in the eye throughout the following winter.

“I intend to challenge him next year”, he told the IBU website. However, the Norwegian’s 2023/2024 season was once again a resounding success , with Sebastian Samuelsson finishing ninth in the world, with just three individual podium finishes over the entire winter.

A few days ago, however, the Swede reiterated his wishes in the columns of Langrenn.com: “I can really annoy Johannes Thingnes Boe, that’s my goal”, he declared. However, he knows that the task ahead of him is immense. “He often competes at a high level and, even though he has bad days, he still does well. He’s gained a lot of self-confidence and he knows he has the leeway to cope with a few missed shots,” he says.

“We have to challenge him and show him that we can compete”.

To beat him, Sebastian Samuelsson believes that the Norwegian needs to be taken out of his “comfort zone”: “We need to challenge him and show him that we can compete, especially at the start of the season, he explains. We need to stress him out a bit, as we saw that he had some more difficult races at the end of last season during his duel with his brother [for the big globe, editor’s note].”

Finally, the 2023 world champion in the mass start and the 2024 world champion in the relay will need to improve his shooting accuracy if he is to beat his rival. “I’m on the right track,” hopes Sebastian Samuelsson as the World Cup kicks off in less than 40 days in Kontiolahti (Finland).

• Sebastian Samuelsson ready to challenge Johannes Thingnes Boe next winter
• Nove Mesto: Sebastian Samuelsson and Tarjei Boe tease each other in the mixed zone
• IBU: “Our opinion has not been taken very seriously”, says Sebastian Samuelsson
• Sebastian Samuelsson enjoys his “wonderful life” as a father

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