He has won everything that the sport of biathlon has to offer, including and again and again at the highest stage of the sport, at the Olympics. Johannes Thingnes Bö hangs up his rifle. January 18th in Ruhpolding will go down in biathlon history – emotionally, in just 30 minutes.
Nervous looks wander around, a feeling of heaviness pervades the media center on this Saturday morning. The television cameras set up point to an empty chair at the very end. The Norwegian national team has scheduled an unscheduled press conference.
The Norwegian head coaches Siegfried Mazet, Egil Kristiansen and Patrick Oberegger are standing in a corner with their colleagues, but one is missing, it is officially said. The athlete shuttle is late. It’s a day where everything revolves around women, and should revolve around women. Just a few hours later, the Germans and final runner Franziska Preuß won the relay at the home World Cup in Ruhpolding. But this day changes the biathlon world – especially the male one.
The end of his career comes as a surprise
At 12:09 Johannes Thingnes Bö enters the press center, the news has already leaked. At 12 sharp he posted it himself on his Instagram channel. A photo of him laughing with his two children on his chest – the biathlon dominator is over – over – over, a year earlier than planned.
The Norwegian walks past the cameras, he smiles and waves, but he seems tense; the press room was never so full during the World Cup week in Ruhpolding. Bö sits down on the lonely chair and pulls out his cell phone.
Hardly any journalists move, there is dead silence, a scenario that almost feels like a funeral. The 31-year-old clears his throat, explains that he will give his statement in Norwegian and then Bö stops. Before he can read the first sentence, he starts crying.
One press conference with tears
Olympic champion Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, now an expert on Norwegian television NRK, stands a little to the side, her eyes also shining. And that’s how it feels for many of those present. “This is so hard”says Bö in a shaky voice, he stops again. Tears flow, he breathes deeply: “We are quickly approaching the end of a dream, a dream that began when my brother Tarjei became world champion in 2006.”
The entire room hangs on his every word; anyone who doesn’t use a camera has long since held their cell phone up. “I was 13 and dreamed of achieving the same thing as Tarjei. In 2012 we were suddenly in the national team together. What a journey it has been since then. Thank you for always being my role model. I am incredibly proud that you were a “You’re part of my life.”
No start at the 2026 Olympic Games
The plan was to compete for another year and fight for medals again at the Olympic Games in Antholz in 2026. “I love racing, but I feel the time has come to put my family first.”
Bö answers every question, first in Norwegian, then in English, there will be no further interviews that day, just the one PK. “It’s brutally exhausting for you and your family when you’re number 1, it takes a lot of energy. I already felt that after the Olympics in Beijing. If you look at the big picture, a start in 2026 would perhaps bring another Olympic gold medal . I know I can achieve this, my body is like a gift to me.”
“My head has already moved on”
“I just have to train to be number 1, but mentally I don’t have enough strength for another long year. I’m ready for the next chapter in life, my head has already moved on. In twenty years, when my If I move out of the children, I won’t have regretted this decision.”
After almost half an hour, the Norwegian asks with a slightly pleading tone: “Was that it?” He seems relieved, but also like he wants to get out of here. That was it, no question anymore. “Thanks and see you tomorrow, I have to prepare for my race.” Bö smiles, it’s 12:37, he stands up, the crowd applauds and forms a path. He goes down the stairs and runs across the media parking lot, his hood pulled over his head, and disappears into the athletes’ area.
Farewell party on Holmenkollen
With Johannes Thingses Bö, not only a five-time Olympic champion and twenty-time world champion is saying goodbye. He won the overall World Cup five times and left his mark on the biathlon circuit – both in terms of time and in some cases. But above all, an outstanding personality is leaving, an inspiring athlete for young talent.
The biathlon world is losing one of its most dazzling protagonists. Retiring for the sake of his family may make him even more prestigious than another Olympic victory. “I’m now looking forward to the last part of this wonderful career, which will end at Holmenkollen.”
Johannes Thingnes Bö will compete in a World Cup race for the last time in Oslo on March 23rd.