Huge surprise at the Norwegian Biathlon Championships in Alta: Top favorite Johannes Thingnes Bø had to admit defeat in the sprint on Friday by an underdog that no one had previously considered. In the women’s race, on the other hand, one of the secret favorites prevailed.
When Johannes Thingnes Bø started in a sprint race last World Cup season, the biathlon superstar also won.
The Norwegian actually wanted to continue his impressive series at the national championships in Alta, but on Friday, surprisingly, the 29-year-old only managed third place.
In the end, victory went to Sverre Dahlen Aspenes, who skipped the 2022/23 World Cup season after a tragic death in his family. The 25-year-old also won the sprint thanks to a flawless performance on the shooting range by a margin of 23.8 seconds over 22-year-old Vetle Rype Paulsen. Bø only finished bronze, 36 seconds back.
Biathlon: Johannes Thingnes Bø struggles with the conditions
The superstar’s undoing was, among other things, his high start number. Bø was the last of the more than 100 starters to go on the cross-country ski run and was struggling noticeably with the snow that was getting deeper and deeper.
Even before the first shooting he was 14 seconds behind the leaders. After making his first and only mistake in standing, he was 27 seconds shy of Aspenes going into the final lap.
A gap that was too big that day even for the best runner in the Bihatlon world.
Biathlon super talent new Norwegian champion
The women’s sprint also developed into a real thriller with a surprising outcome.
In the absence of Marte Olsbu Røiseland, the super talent Maren Kirkeeide narrowly prevailed in the end with a lead of just 7.8 seconds over Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold. Bronze went to Karoline Knotten, who was only 1.3 seconds short of a silver medal.
The Norwegian Championships continue on Saturday with the two mass start races. The relays on Sunday then form the grand finale of the 2022/23 biathlon season.