In a display of biathlon's excellence of the highest order, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Johannes Thingnes Boe won in the Mass Start as the final act of the BMW IBU World Championships Nove Mesto 2024, which saw more than 210,000 spectators visiting Vysočina Arena and making the Championships unforgettable.

Back-to-back 7 World Championship medals for JT Boe

JT Boe won seven medals in Nove Mesto, the first athlete to do so twice at the BMW IBY World Championships. He also won back-to-back three individual events and equalled Ole Einar Bjoerndalen’s 20 gold medals at the World Championships. Believe it or not, JT Boe’s win in the Pursuit was a career-first title defence for one of the best biathletes ever.

France wins 13 medals, the most successful nation

Julia Simon, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, and Lou Jeanmonnot won a complete set of medals in the Sprint, a historical first-ever podium for Les Blues at the BMW IBU World Championships. Sophie Chauveau’s fourth place gave the achievement an additional dimension. Simon and Braisaz-Bouchet each won five medals in Nove Mesto, making Simon the most successful French woman in the history of World Championships.

French women's relay won a gold medal in the World Championships after a 32-year wait. Quentin Fillon Maillet partnered Jeanmonnot for a gold medal in what was his debut in the Single Mixed Relays at the World Cup or World Championships level. France ended the World Championships as the most decorated nation with 13 medals (to Norway's 12), 6 were gold (to Norway's 4).

Vittozzi shoots 69/70 for three individual medals

After one bronze and two medals at the BMW IBU World Championships (including a silver in the Pursuit in Nove Mesto), Lisa Vittozzi won her first-ever World Championships gold in the Individual. After shooting 69/70 in the four individual competitions, she left Nove Mesto with three individual medals and four altogether.

Swedish men relay won the first-ever gold medal at the World Championships. It was also a first men’s relay gold for Sweden at the big events after the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.

And Andrejs Rastorgujevs won his first-ever medal in the BMW IBU World Championships, finishing second in the Mass Start.

Photo: C. Manzoni, V. Thibaut