Norwegian Johannes Thingnes Bö also dominates the first World Cup after the World Championships in a surreal way. The German biathletes are amazed at the superstar’s flawless performance and have nothing to do with the decision themselves.
Astonished, Justus Strelow looked at the result board after crossing the finish line. The German biathlete only allowed one shooting error at the start of the World Cup in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, but was almost two minutes behind the dominator Johannes Thingnes Bö from Norway. “I felt pretty good running, but I was a bit scared when I reached the finish line. I don’t know how he does it,” said Strelow in an interview with ARD. He finished 16th in the ten-kilometer sprint, 1:55.8 minutes behind.
The German biathlon men went in search of clues at the third to last World Cup of the season. They had already missed a medal at the home World Championships. The five-time Oberhof triumphant Bö, on the other hand, was able to build on his World Championship form and gained more than 30 seconds on the competition on the cross-country ski run with his 15th win of the season. That’s worlds over this distance.
Roman Rees, who was the best athlete in the German Ski Association (1:27.4 minutes) with a shooting error in eighth place, also tried to explain. “Obviously there are a few components that come together,” Rees said. “He’s got a good physique and is an outstanding talent in the sense of a good pump with all the trimmings. He has some confidence too.” The standing shooting, in which Bö as well as in the prone position hit all five targets, was more like “a show than a competitive situation.”
Benedikt Doll was a little faster on the cross-country ski run than the 30-year-old. However, the former world champion made two penalties in the first shooting. However, he did not want to tick off the race early. “It’s not like the race is over for me,” said Doll. “Sure, I know that the top place is gone and of course it’s super annoying. With two fewer mistakes, the podium is possible.” So Doll ended up in twelfth place with the seventh running time. The day before he had announced that he would not end his career. “But that wasn’t a release or a pressure situation for me,” said Doll. “But it’s good that the situation is clear now, so I know that things will continue and that I have to stay focused.”
On the podium were Johannes Thingnes Bö, who secured the sprint classification early, his brother Tarjei Bö (0 shooting errors/ 30.0 seconds) and Vetle Sjastad Christiansen (1 error/ 1:15.2 minutes) as well as other Norwegians. “The material is definitely right for the Norwegians because they’re in the lead again as a team,” said Rees. Johannes Kühn was still in the running with good prospects up until the second shooting. But then he had to go into the penalty loop twice. He had to settle for 20th place, 2:16.6 minutes behind Bö. Philipp Nawrath in 30th place (3 shooting errors/ 2:32.6 minutes) and David Zobel in 38th place (3/ 2:46.1 minutes) also played no part in the decision about the top positions.
