– It was probably an extremely good race, acknowledges Johannes Thingnes Bø
It is nothing new that he skis faster than the rest of the world elite in biathlon. On Friday, if possible, the ironing was even more superior than normal.
Despite a fault in the recumbent, the Norwegian won the race 31.4 seconds ahead of Sweden’s Martin Ponsiluoma, who also had one fault. In pure cross-country skiing time, Thingnes Bø beat the Swede by 41 seconds.
Despite flawless shooting, Sturla Holm Lægreid was in third place, 37.3 seconds behind her compatriot.
– It is completely outclassed, states Ola Lunde.
JUBILEE: Johannes Thingnes Bø is saluted after the race.
Photo: VINCENZO PINTO / AFP
– Completely wild
– The way he skis is quite adventurous. It’s in a class of its own, says NRK’s biathlon expert.
Friday’s victory was the tenth of the season for Johannes Thingnes Bø. He is undefeated in 2023. And once again it was on the track that he laid the foundations.
The 29-year-old started from the start, and was 10.8 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor after 1.5 kilometres. Despite a miss, he was also the fastest of all after the first firing.
Sturla Holm Lægreid could hardly believe what he heard about secondment.
– I am completely shocked. I hear eight seconds behind after 100 metres, so what he is doing is absolutely wild, he says to NRK.
SOVEREIGN: Johannes Thingnes Bø took his tenth win of the season.
Afraid he had opened too hard
The winner confirms that it was full throttle to the extent that he himself became worried.
– I’ve always tried to open hard here, but then you want to have some control, but I don’t quite know what I was thinking. Fortunately, it went well.
– Did you open too quickly?
– It’s hard to say, because I had a good last round too. At that height, it’s a bit idiotic to clink so much, he acknowledges.
Lægreid was not the only one to be shocked.
– In the second round I had to be careful. That’s when I got a shock, when I went out after lying down and felt how tired I was. Then I thought I had gone way too hard. But I managed to narrow myself down and got a good sprint lap as well, so I think I solved it well, says the supreme winner.
– From another family
National team colleague Johannes Dale reveals to NRK that it has been a topic around the dinner table what the team’s players could achieve in special cross-country skiing. This is also confirmed by Tarjei Bø.
– It would have been really cool to see him in cross-country skiing now, not least when they have started going 10 kilometers instead of 15, because I think that would have suited him perfectly, he says.
He points out that the national cross-country team no longer needs the help of biathletes in the way they did when Lars Berger and Ole Einar Bjørndalen wreaked havoc on the track.
– But I think he asserted himself very well, says Tarjei Bø, who takes off his hat for what his brother is doing.
– They probably have extra powers, the redheads. I think he’s from another family, because what he’s doing is absolutely crazy, he smiles.
Excludes special cross-country skiing
– He was at the finish line before I started, and it’s a bit boring to know that you can’t win until you’ve left the starting blocks. It is difficult for the rest of us, says Tarjei Bø.
And until further notice, big brother and the rest of biathlon elite Johannes Thingnes Bø will make it difficult for them, not the cross-country specialists.
– It goes away in the track during the day, so it would have been fun to see what it had been up to. But I will probably never compete in a cross-country race as well prepared as I am for the World Cup, and then there is no point in even trying, he says.
