Surprising twist
Record world champion ends career earlier than expected
01/18/2025 – 12:26 p.mReading time: 1 min.
The best biathlete in recent history is, quite surprisingly, retiring soon. Johannes Thingnes Bö is ending his career after the winter.
The Norwegian biathlon superstar Johannes Thingnes Bö has surprisingly announced the end of his active career. The 31-year-old, who originally wanted to continue until the 2026 Olympic Games, announced his decision at the World Cup in Ruhpolding.
Bö will contest his final races in March at his home race at Holmenkollen in Oslo. He “feels like the time has come to prioritize family,” the father of two wrote on Instagram.
“In the last six seasons I have juggled top-class sport and family life. It was fantastic, but also very challenging,” explained Bö. “I had originally planned to continue for another year, but preparing for the Olympics demands even more from me and those around me.”
Bö made his World Cup debut in 2013. During his career he celebrated five Olympic victories and 20 World Championship gold medals. Only compatriot Ole Einar Björndalen can keep up with the exceptional talent from Stryn for the World Cup titles. He has also achieved 79 World Cup victories and a total of 88 career victories. Björndalen is ahead of Bö in this statistic with a total of 95 successes.