In Ruhpolding the entire world of biathlon was rocked when Johannes Thingnes Boe announced that he will retire at the end of the season. Perhaps his reluctance to finish the Individual after the final shooting was a sign of the decision that must have been weighing on his mind. He said that his head zoomed out of the biathlon instantly. Then, Johannes, being Johannes, finished on the Mass Start podium.

Johannes concluded the Individual with an easy skating round, not trying, not entertaining fans - as did Emilien Jacquelin in his botched Mass Start at the World Championships Pokljuka 2021 - just thinking the thoughts of perhaps naturally the most gifted biathlete ever, who has won all the titles many times over and has always been a family man.

Johannes zoomed out, but . . .

“It takes a lot of you and people around you to be number one in the world,” said Johannes, his eyes teary, his soul open. “Not many people know what it takes to be the best every year. For one, my big rival Martin Fourcade most probably does.”

Perhaps it is just a coincidence, but Johannes is retiring at the same point in his life as Fourcade - in the year when he is turning 32 and at the end of his 12th full-time World Cup season.

Despite being in yellow since Hochfilzen, Johannes’ performances this winter have had an odd feeling. Some misses were the result of a mind wondering whether a routine of morning jog and midday training and afternoon rest and dinner in the evening still made sense to him, filling him with satisfaction, knowing they would translate into more wins, more medals, more glory. And it didn’t.

“It felt different than the last season or the one before last. In the big picture - and I am truly proud of all my achievements - any next win is just another win; any next medal is just another medal. Being away from family more than with family doesn’t feel right anymore. Although I have a special gift, as I almost don’t need to train to be the best in the world, I still don’t want to continue past the end of this season. But I will still fight for the Total Score win this season. I promise you that.”

Also.

“With this decision, my head already zoomed out of biathlon.”

It didn’t look like it, for Johannes finished third in the Mass Start, behind Sturla Holm Laegreid and debutante World Cup winner Tommaso Giacomel. The Italian’s shooting accuracy hovered around 75% until the win - a stat that he improved his first-ever 20/20! In the week of Boe's big decision and Franziska Preuss' brilliance, another man's career-first victory quietly slipped from the headlines - like his close friend Giacomel in the Mass Start, Vebjoern Soerum became debutante World Cup winner in the Individual.

Preuss comfortably in control of the Total Score standings

To the delight of numerous fans - more than 80,000 for the week - Franziska Preuss anchored Germany to their first Ruhpolding victory in the women’s relay after the 2017/2018 winter. That was just one of the three highlights the leading woman in the Total Score achieved in Ruhpolding: she finished second in the Individual and Mass Start. Her challengers, Lou Jeanmonnot of France and Elvira Oeberg of Sweden had one win each, but made fewer points than Preuss. Franziska now has 749 atop the Total Score standings, Jeanmonnot 607, and Elvira 571.

Doro is back!

Like her teammate Giacomel, Dorothea Wierer saved her best in Ruhpolding for the Mass Start, finishing fourth for her highest finish in 2024/2025 - just in time for the Antholz-Anterselva week.

First-time podiums for Emilien Claude, Richard and Baserga

France's Emilien Claude (second in the men's Individual), Jeanne Richard (third in the Mass Start), and Amy Baserga of Switzerland (third in the women's Individual) added their names to the list of the first-ever World Cup podium achievers in 2024/2025.

It was all about Norway in Brezno-Osrblie

It was a memorable week for Norway in the IBU Cup at Brezno-Osrblie, the team swept the field with six wins out of six in Slovakia. Sivert Guttorm Bakken and Karoline Erdal triumphed in the Short Individuals whilst Isak Frey and Marte Krakstad Johansen took the victories in the Sprints before the team convincingly triumphed in the Mixed and Single Mixed Relay.

With Mengin away in the IBU Cup, three different winners in Jakuszyce

With the world’s best women junior athletes Amandine Mengin and Voldiya Galmace Pauline moving up to the French IBU Cup team, the field became wide open for new winners. Germany’s Lea Zimmerman (Mass Start 60), Czechia’s Ilona Plechacova (Sprint 1) and Italy’s Fabiana Carpella (Sprint 2) all took full advantage by securing victories. Francesca Brocchiero of Italy (2nd in the Mass Start 60 and fourth in both of the Sprints) is the new leader in the Total Score.

On the men’s side Sondre Slettemark of Greenland won in the Mass Start 60 and the second Sprint whilst Matija Legović of Croatia kept his Total Score lead.

Photo: J. Svoboda. I. Stančik, Nordic Focus