– He is a bit of an artist in the training work

Johannes Thingnes Bø is beaten in training, has a lot of lactic acid and shows signs of being poorly trained. But neither he nor the coach is worried.

BEITOSTØLEN: Johannes Thingnes Bø had rounds at the ski arena at Beitostølen. He is preparing for a new season. A season that will be different. Not just because this pandemic has provided a changed program and strict infection control. But also because it is his first season as a father of small children.

After each drag out on the rocky trails, there is shooting. Then there is the lactate test, a test where they measure the lactic acid level in the blood. Not all tests are equally positive for the man who has been the world’s best biathlete in recent seasons.

No news

The form is only a little over a month before the World Cup starts in Kontiolahti.

But no one is surprised by just that.

– It is nothing new that this is the case. He knows that he can come back, says coach Egil Kristiansen.

But had it been another runner than just Johannes Thingnes Bø who had been so poorly trained just four weeks before the seriousness, he would have been worried.

– There must be something special about that guy. It had not worked for any other runners. There is something in the genes that helps him a little, is coach Kristiansen’s analysis.

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The lifestyle

Big brother Tarjei Bø believes that this is a bit of a lifestyle for the winner of the World Cup the last two seasons.

The father of small children agrees.

– Yes, I may have been a bit of a father of small children, but I have always liked to be measured by what I achieve in the winter, not in the autumn, says Johannes Thingnes Bø.

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He is known for training little. When he compares himself with the others on the biathlon national team, his number of training hours is far lower than with all the others.

– He is a bit of an artist in the training work. He does it by emotion. Not everything can be planned. If they feel very good, then they run a hard workout. If they feel bad, then they just as well stop exercising. They train with emotion, says coach Kristiansen.

Now it must be hunted form

The 27-year-old from Stryn has been the fastest on the track for several seasons, and he knows that he can not rest in shape now towards the start of the season.

– The weeks I go into are extremely important to me. I can not afford a break. Now it is all in and full focus. I will respond completely wildly to the hard sessions we will have now in the future.

Big brother Tarjei Bø tells about the day when the little brother realized that now it is serious.

– We had a test run in Kollen last week, and then he got yours. Then he said, “Now I have to sharpen up.”