Biathlon: Johannes Boe announces, in tears, his end of career

The end of an era in the world of biathlon: Norwegian Johannes Boe, world No. 1 and ogre of the discipline, will end his career in March at the end of the World Cup, one year before the Olympic Games in Italy.

“I think the time has come to give priority to my family,” announced the Norwegian, in tears, during a press conference organized at the last minute in Ruhpolding (Germany), where the 5th stage of the Biathlon World Cup.

“I had to continue for another year but participation in the Olympic Games demands even more, including for those around me,” said the biathlete who took over the discipline after the retirement of Martin Fourcade.

This shock announcement comes in the middle of the pre-Olympic season, which was to be his penultimate since the Norwegian had initially confirmed in mid-November that he would end his career after the next Winter Games.

“I almost no longer need to train to be No. 1, but it’s not enough to continue for a year,” continued the native of Stryn, Norway, expected to be one of the favorites for the next Olympic Games. ‘winter.

The general leader said that he made his decision during the end-of-year holidays, during the truce. “When I came home at Christmas and talked about it, I felt like it was the only thing to do,” he said. In 20 years, when my children leave home, I will not regret this extra year.

The Norwegian extraterrestrial has crushed the competition since his debut in 2013, with five Olympic gold medals and five of the last six big crystal globes. Fourcade, the record holder, has won seven. The trophy which rewards the best biathlete of the winter has only escaped him once since his first crowning, in 2019. It was the Frenchman Quentin Fillon Maillet who won it. went private in 2022.

With 88 individual races won (Olympics and Worlds included), he is only seven victories away from the record of the legend Ole Einar Bjoerndalen. At the Worlds, he will be able to surpass the “OEB” record of 20 gold medals which he equaled last year in Nove Mesto (Czech Republic) with a hat-trick.

The biathlete announced his decision to quit to his team on Saturday morning, after breakfast. “Johannes told all the athletes and team members that he wanted to talk to us. He told us. I was completely shocked,” explained the French coach of the Norwegian team, Siegfried Mazet. “I told him those were just good reasons. For me it’s the end of a magnificent story,” he continued, very moved.

What’s next for the Norwegian? “My plans are not yet clear. I told my wife that even if I didn’t participate in the Olympic Games in Antholz, I still hoped to be there,” smiled Johannes Boe before leaving the press room to thunderous applause.