Tommaso Giacomel from Italy prevented a biathlon fairytale in Ruhpolding on Sunday (January 19, 2025) and overcame Johannes Thingnes Bö in the last shooting. Giacomel celebrated victory in the mass start, Bö came third behind his teammate Sturla Holm Laegreid.
The German ski hunters were well in the race until half-time, but shot out in the standing position. The best DSV athlete was Justus Strelow, who came seventh with one mistake.
Of course, all eyes were on Johannes Thingnes Bö. His retirement at the end of the season surprised the biathlon scene on Saturday. The Norwegian won’t just let his career coast to a halt. He will go on full attack. He showed this impressively in the mass start race in Ruhpolding.
Behind the mistake-free surprise winner Giacomel from Italy and Sturla Holm Laegreid (1 mistake/+ 6.3 seconds), Bö finished in third place. The Dominator once again shone with the best running time in the field, but in the end two mistakes were too many; with one ticket it would have been enough for his 17th World Cup victory in the mass start.
Bö starts with a mistake
Bö didn’t miss the opportunity to be the first to lead the field to the first shooting in the Chiemgau Arena, which was filled with 19,200 spectators. However, the Norwegian was not allowed to be the first back on the track. As in the last few days, things didn’t go well at the shooting range: one mistake meant a penalty loop.
The race started much better for the German fast shooter Justus Strelow. He hit all the targets within 21 seconds and was the first to leave the shooting range. However, the field was close together. Philipp Nawrath and Johannes Kühn also belonged to the large leading group without making any mistakes.
Strelow and Kühn at the forefront
Under laboratory conditions in Ruhpolding, the shooting was also outstanding in the second attack. Strelow and Kühn once again got through without making any mistakes and were part of the eleven-man leading group, which was within nine seconds of each other. Bö also catapulted himself forward again with a faultless shooting, but Nawrath (1 penalty loop) fell a few places.
Bö pushes forward
The first standing stop was “ventilated”. Twelve athletes came together to shoot, and five shots later the field was torn apart. Kühn (2 errors) and Strelow (1 error) also fell behind. Nawrath moved back towards the top ten with flawless shooting.
But what Bö did was more exciting. With a faultless series, the “Boss” returned to the track in second place, just two seconds behind Giacomel and took advantage of his slipstream.
Johannes Thingnes Bö and Tommaso Giacomel in Ruhpolding.
Mistake costs Bö victory
Now a mistake-free shooting and Bö’s victory would be within reach. But Bö made a mistake again and had to take a turn. Giacomel made no mistakes and raced towards the finish line first, 9.3 seconds ahead of Laegreid. Bö followed in third place – 23.3 seconds behind the Italian. The victory was gone, but Bö finished his last race in Ruhpolding with a podium finish in a sea of celebration.
From the German team, only Strelow made a mistake at the last attack. He finished a strong seventh. Place. Nawrath and Kühn gave up again in the last test and fell behind with two tickets each: Nawrath came eleventh, Kühn ended up in 23rd place.
Riethmüller’s used day
For mass start specialist Danilo Riethmüller, even less came together. With one mistake in each prone position, he was far behind and was already a minute behind by half the race. With two more penalties in the first standing stop, we could finally call it a wasted day. In the end, Riethmüller finished 28th with five extra laps – and third from last.