At the first Biathlon World Cup weekend of 2024 in Oberhof, the exceptional Norwegian talent Johan-Olav Botn will have his first chance to prove himself on the big stage. Norway legend Ole Einar Bjørndalen has a lot of confidence in the 24-year-old – even the role of challenger to Johannes Thingnes Bø.
If Bjørndalen has his way, Botn certainly has what it takes to be a threat to Bø – at least on the cross-country ski trails, where the 24-year-old is a real force of nature in the current IBU Cup season and is running all opponents to the ground.
“Botn has [im IBU-Cup] won everything there was to win. And he has a running form that allows him to keep up with Johannes Thingnes Bø even on one of the top top days,” Bjørndalen raved about the 24-year-old’s running strength to “TV2”.
Exceptional biathlon talent trains over 100 hours a month
Botn’s secret to success is very simple: hard work. “There are rumors that he does well over 100 hours of training per month. That’s something that no one else does or has ever done,” said the living Norwegian biathlon legend.
However, strong legs alone are no guarantee of success, especially in the World Cup. Bjørndalen also knows this, so he says: “The question is whether he [Botn] gets his mental and shooting skills on track. But when he’s in top form, he has extreme potential.”
“It’s a dream come true”
Botn himself is looking forward to his World Cup debut with great anticipation. “It’s a dream come true,” he said. Nevertheless, Botn also feels a bit for Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen, who has to give up his place in the senior team for the 24-year-old.
“Thinking about this side of the sport is not that cool. It can be a bit hard, but it also shows our current situation: Even he, who is so good, can’t be sure,” said Botn, referring to Christiansen Winter, which so far has been anything but disappointing, but still hasn’t saved him from degradation.