Dreaming of retiring together: – Then he is in for another year

Dreaming of retiring together: – Then he is in for another year

Johannes Thingnes Bø dreams of that he and brother Tarjei retire at the same time – and the younger one has a plan in place for how this could happen.

BEITOSTØLEN (Max):
The Bø brothers are almost synonymous with biathlon. They have produced a TV series together, co-authored a book, and competed in the World Cup since Johannes debuted in the 2012/2013 season.

What could be more natural than both brothers retiring together? However, there’s just one problem.

While Johannes plans to compete for two more years, Tarjei is actually considering retiring after this season. But the younger brother has a plan!

– We’ve always had this idea in our family that it’s the last one that counts. So if Tarjei beats me this year, I think he would retire. Therefore, I hope I can beat him this year, because if I stay ahead, he will stick around for another year, Johannes told Max.

Not completely dismissive

It’s perhaps not a foolproof plan, but Tarjei had what might have been his best season ever last year. So from a sporting perspective, there’s really no reason why there should only be one more season.

Also read: Thingnes Bø aims for Bjørndalen's record

– I chose to continue for another year and actually feel really good about it. But we haven’t started next season yet, so I’ll see ... It was so fun to be so good last year, and this past year has been really great. So I’m riding that wave, says Tarjei.

He is not dismissive of his younger brother’s plan, acknowledging that it’s incredibly exciting to continue competing and traveling together.

– I think it’s absolutely amazing to be a biathlete on the national team with my brother. He’s five years younger, but we’ve been in the same team for twelve years, which is a long time. It feels completely natural, and looking from the outside, it’s a cool story, says the 36-year-old.

Exceptionally strong

31-year-old Johannes still finds much joy in his brother’s presence in the World Cup, but he admits he never thought Tarjei would still be pushing him around the track.

Also read: Tarjei Bø has made a decision about the future

– No, I never expected that, but he’s always been good and still is. He’s an athlete who is incredibly physically strong, and he’s also a good and fast shooter. So when he gets his puzzle to work, I think he is an incredibly tough nut to crack. He showed that again last year, says the younger one, who is also glad that Tarjei will at least take another year.

– Of course I’m happy about that. He is an incredibly good relay runner. Mom always says when we race together, it strengthens the team even more. So he has been a key player, says the 31-year-old.

Loves brotherly duels

Older brother Tarjei openly admits that it’s tougher now than before to stay competitive at the top levels. Especially the off-season periods are demanding.

– It’s the training that becomes boring, so now is when we really start being cool. We’ll see how much cool I have left in me, but I’ve been doing this for so long, and it’s never been harder than now, says Tarjei, who retorts “I don’t know. Nobody knows, really,” to direct questions about joining the younger brother’s plan.

But he doesn’t outright dismiss it, and with the competitive spirit both brothers possess, it’s perhaps not entirely out of the question that Johannes will get his way.

– You want good duels, and the duels with Tarjei are the ones I want most. That’s going to be my strongest memory from my career, those duels with Tarjei. So I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he has one last year in him so he can follow me all the way through to the end, says Johannes Thingnes Bø.