Johannes Bö dominates biathlon any way he wants. It can be seen in the wallet.
Johannes Bö took five gold, one silver and one bronze medal from the World Championships in Oberhof. EPA / AOP
Johannes Bö was the king of the biathlon world championships that ended at the weekend.
The 29-year-old Norwegian, who currently dominates the sport by far, won no fewer than seven medals at the Games. Five of them were gold, and in addition to that, one silver and one bronze accumulated in the trophy cabinet during the “huti days”. That says something about the level of the Norwegian skier.
In addition to the medals, Bö of course received money as a reward for his performances. Biathlon is one of the most lucrative winter sports. The International Biathlon Union IBU gives a prize of 25,000 euros for the individual world championship. Silver brings 19,000 and bronze 14,000 euros.
Bö won three individual races and two mixed relay races in Oberhof. He received 15,000 euros from them, after all, the winning amount had to be divided among the entire relay team.
In total, Bö received just under 100,000 euros in prize money from the World Championships. In addition to this, Bö’s bank account also receives bonuses from the Norwegian Biathlon Union, so a week and a half in Germany brought Bö a day of reckoning.
In an interview with Aftonbladet, the Norwegian found a use for the money.
– I built a rather expensive house last year. I will pay off my loan with this money, Bö told the Swedish newspaper.
Bö has been grabbing wins, gold medals and thus money for years. So the Norwegian is used to making money from sports.
Refreshingly, the man is a rare athlete in that he does not hesitate to admit that money is an important motivator.
– Of course it is. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. This is a 24/7 job for us. Many others work from eight to four and then go home, but we have to constantly take care of ourselves and make huge sacrifices. So it feels good to get an award for it, says Bö.