Biathlon: Johannes Thingnes Bø Wins World Championship Gold Again

Norwegian biathlete Johannes Thingnes Bø left his competitors far behind from the start of the race, securing yet another World Championship gold in Lenzerheide – the 22nd of his career.

Bø followed up yesterday’s sprint gold with another victory in the pursuit start event. He led from the very beginning and maintained such a large lead that no one was able to threaten his position.

“I knew it would be challenging. The snow was heavy today due to the warmth, which usually demands a lot of energy. I just tried to keep my gap and shoot well. I gave it my all on the final shot – it felt great,” he said.

By winning his twelfth individual World Championship gold medal, Bø now surpasses the legendary Ole Einar Bjørndalen, who had eleven individual titles.

“This is huge. It’s the individual titles that really count. Relay wins depend a lot on your nation. Winning individual medals means a lot,” he commented.

In other notable performances, American Campbell Wright delivered a stunning surprise by taking silver for the second consecutive day, while Frenchman Eric Perrot finished third. For the Swedish side, the duo of Jesper Nelin and Martin Ponsiluoma looked set for a better finish but a miss in the final shooting saw them drop back, with Ponsiluoma finishing ninth, Nelin eleventh, and Sebastian Samuelsson in fifteenth place.

Samuelsson added, “I wasn’t in top form, unfortunately. I opened out very aggressively – I know it was a bit reckless, but I couldn’t help it with the starting position I had. It’s a step forward and hopefully it will get better. I’m not giving up; there are still a few opportunities during this championship.”