There will be no grand slam for Johannes Boe. The Norwegian giant, already thwarted on Saturday by the French team during the relay, failed in its quest for gold on the last lift of the individual events of the Oberhof Worlds (Germany), Sunday February 19. On the mass start, the Norwegian was dethroned by two Swedes, Sebastian Samuelsson (20/20 in shooting) and Martin Ponsiluoma (18/20, best skiing time). Weighed down by a final foul on the last shot, Johannes Boe, hitherto undefeated in the individual events of the season, was unable to get back on his opponents and had to settle for bronze.
Like his compatriot Ole Einar Bjoerndalen (in 2009) or Martin Fourcade (2016), the Norwegian failed to achieve the individual grand slam, but left Oberhof with 7 medals, including 5 in gold.
Starting at the head of the mass start, by virtue of his status as leader of the World Cup, Johannes Boe had yet immediately imposed his formidable pace on skis. Left for five laps of 3 km, interspersed with four shooting sequences (two lying down then two standing up), the Norwegian received a penalty lap, 150 meters, from the first shot. A Norwegian who could hide another, it was Sturla Laegreid, reigning world champion, who took the lead, the French Claude Fabien and Quentin Fillon Maillet on his heels.
Johannes Boe, chaining a second shooting fault (8/10), worked to make up his 23 seconds behind on skis. Going from sixth place to second on the climb, then formidable on the first standing lap – dispatched in 19 seconds – the Norwegian seized the lead and posed a serious option on a title which seemed to stretch his legs. arm.
However, that would be to misunderstand biathlon. Neck and neck with Ponsiluoma, Laegreid and Samuelsson, the title was decided in a grandiose final between Scandinavians. On the last shot, the youngest of the Boe brothers obliterated his targets in a daunting rhythm, before fishing on the last target. Coming out of his penalty lap 6 seconds behind Ponsiluoma, Johannes Boe, blunted by his repeated efforts, no longer managed to come back to the Swedish duo. On the last lap, it was Sebastian Samuelsson who got the better of his compatriot Martin Ponsiluoma (2nd, 9”6) and Johannes Boe (3rd, 38”8) and took the title. Smiling a bit closed, the Norwegian can harbor regrets, after having failed on the wire in his quest for a grand slam.
No individual medal for the tricolors
On the other hand, the French return with a meager individual loot from these Worlds. Crowned yesterday as a team, the Blues missed their race. Out in front of the second lying shot (10/10), Fabien Claude has long been in contact with the leading group, in the same rhythm as Sebastian Samuelson. But a round of penalties after the first standing shot and difficulties on the skis dashed his medal hopes: “It was still too hard on the skis, even with zero faults, I told myself that I couldn’t do it. I am disappointed with myself, ”regrets Fabien Claude at the microphone of La Chaîne L’Equipe.
Same observation for Emilien Jacquelin, who saw his hopes of podiums fly away after having chained two penalty laps (54 seconds) on the third shot. “We played in front but we made too many mistakes to expect anything. Maybe we lacked freshness, but in front, it was a high level race. Samuelsson was formidable on the shot, Ponsiluoma and Boe very good on the skis, recognized the tricolor. The French biathlon has known great hours and we are used to better. We are disappointed and we have to challenge ourselves individually and collectively so that 2023 is not a year without an individual podium. »
Best Frenchman in this race, Quentin Fillon-Maillet finished in sixth place, more than a minute behind the winner of the day (18/20). An individual record far from tricolor hopes. Since 2009, the French had always returned with individual medals in their suitcases.