Johannes Thingnes Bø wins his fifth crystal ball

The men's pursuit took place in Canmore (CAN) on Saturday in warm temperatures. The big favorite wobbled briefly, but was far from falling. With his 10th win of the season he consolidated his win of the big crystal ball.

March 16, 2024

From: mv

It is the fifth overall World Cup crystal ball for Johannes Thingnes Bø. The runner-up, his brother Tarjei Bø, can no longer catch him - not even if he wins the mass start on Monday and Johannes Thingnes doesn't make it into the points. The Swede Sebastian Samuelsson came second in the pursuit (11,2 seconds behind), while the Frenchman Eric Perrot came third (+11,6 seconds).

The big favorite in the pursuit on Saturday was Johannes Thingnes Bø. The exceptional athlete ultimately won the sprint on Friday with a huge lead of over a minute. Nevertheless, he wobbled in the first two laps, not necessarily on the trail, but rather at the shooting range. A mistake in each of the first two shootings meant that the competition caught up with him and was almost on par. The decisive factor was the third shooting, where Bø stayed cool and didn't miss a shot, while his opponents had to complete at least one penalty loop.

Two Azzurri stand out

Two Azzurri also showed a strong performance. Firstly, Tommaso Giacomel, who didn't make it onto the podium on Saturday, but can still be happy with 6th place. Especially when you consider that he made four shooting errors. In the overall standings, Giacomel is now in ninth place, 14 points behind Emilien Jacquelin.

Tommaso Giacomel finished in the top 10 in the pursuit in Canmore. © Teyssot / Pierre TEYSSOT

And on the other hand, Lukas Hofer was also convincing again. The Montaler also took 13th place on Saturday, the same as in the sprint the day before. The only downer: the two shooting errors in the first standing stage. If he hadn't done this, a top 10 place would definitely have been possible.

Big season finale on Sunday

The Biathlon World Cup season concludes on Sunday in Canmore. The women's (18.10 p.m.) and men's (22.20 p.m.) mass starts are still to come. Especially for the women, it's all about winning the crystal ball, where Lisa Vittozzi still has all the trump cards.