A snow ghost from Norway

The home stretch was still untouched. Smoothly ironed by human hands, it literally waited for the destructive force of the cross-country skis on the feet of the biathletes. People were inclined to say: Oh, don't let anyone come and leave their mark there. And in fact, it seemed like no one had the courage to do it.

Normally it would be the case that someone with start number one would be the first to cross the finish line, because the next person after him starts 30 seconds later. Half an eternity in sport, where measurements are sometimes taken down to thousandths of a second. But this time everything was different. Unusual. Numbers two, three, four were somewhere in the Thuringian Forest, even though there are no penalty laps in the individual competition that could delay the finish. The spectators stretched their necks, looked at the miserably long finish line and waited: for the Beijing Olympic champion, Quentin Fillon Maillet. The Frenchman wore start number six and was therefore predestined to be the first to touch the virgin surface at the finish. Norwegian high-flyers: Johannes Thingnes Boe and Marte Olsbu Roeiseland. © APA/afp / CHRISTOF STACHE

But something incredible, unfathomable, unique and truly unprecedented happened. A man with start number eleven, who started five and a half minutes after the first biathlete, overtook Fillon Mailet one hundred meters from the finish line and actually put his skis before everyone else in the white finish area with the three entry lanes that had apparently been prepared for him. It was Johannes Thingnes Boe, the biathlete from another planet. He missed the targets twice during the competition. For this he was given two minutes of penalty. Normally this means no chance in the field of the best biathletes. You can't win a race with two penalty minutes. But the individual competition in Oberhof, the oldest form of competition in biathlon, will go down in the history books because even the best after Boe would not have been able to get past the Norwegian high-flyer with flawless shooting. It has become a two-class society. Johannes Thingnes Boe and the rest of the shooting festival.

Boe follows in the footsteps of the greatest The sheer and overwhelming superiority is difficult to compare with other athletes, not even Ole-Einar Björndalen or Martin Fourcade were as superior in biathlon as the younger of the Boe brothers. Some say it's boring now because we know who would win. Others are waiting for him to break in, true to the motto that schadenfreude is still the best joy. I bow to him and enjoy the fascination that comes from him and his extraordinary achievements. It's simply a dream to watch him skating, how he seemingly effortlessly creates propulsion with gentle pressure on his skis. His newfound relaxedness leads to concentrated concentration at the shooting range. And if the ammunition ends up on the edge of the target, luck sometimes comes into play. The luck that sometimes comes to the side of the brave. Then he grins again: Johannes Thingnes Boe is the biathlon superstar par excellence. © ANSA / RONALD WITTEK

I inevitably think of other greats in the sport who were similarly superior. Mark Spitz, for example. He won seven gold medals in seven starts in the swimming pool in Munich in 1972, although he was of course also dependent on his colleagues in the relay races. Johannes Thingnes Boe now has five gold medals in his hands and two races still to go. But he also needs help again in the relay race and everyone will try to help him because, despite his exceptional position, he is not a selfish lone fighter. He loves racing with his brother Tarjei and other colleagues and opponents. Sometimes you even get the impression that relay races mean more to him than his individual races. This character trait also contributes to the fact that, despite his dizzying superiority, there are no signs of arrogance in him. He seems grounded, almost down to earth. The whirlwind of the past has grown up. Two years ago he skipped the World Cup in Oberhof so he could be there for the birth of his son. This event was the turning point in his life, which is currently taking him into unimagined sporting spheres.

He's not even 30 years old yet. The records of his compatriot Ole-Einar Björndalen, who won 45 World Cup medals, 20 of which were gold, are still values from another universe, but are not unattainable for him. His current tally stands at 29 World Championship medals after success in the single mixed relay with Marte Olsbu-Roiseland. At the end of Oberhof, his haul may already be 31 World Cup plaques. And he certainly still has a few world championships ahead of him. The high flyer has just taken off. The finish lines are waiting for him. Soon at the World Championships in Nove Mesto na Moravje (Czech Republic) and Lenzerheide (Switzerland) before an Olympic stopover in Antholz in 2026. If he stays healthy, he will dominate his sport for years to come and leave his mark in the fresh snow even more often. Regardless of his starting number.

The author: Sigi Heinrich The multi-award-winning sports journalist (including the German Television Award, Bavarian Sports Award, Biathlon Award, World Sports Trophy) dedicates his column “Sigi's Spitze” to the entire diversity of sports and sometimes poaches in foreign regions. Sometimes with a smile and a wink, sometimes really seriously or deliberately provocative. There should be something for everyone.

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A snow ghost from Norway

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