Spent from the monumental effort at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, JT Boe decided to skip Trimester 3 last season. He still took time to visit the Finals in Oslo and salute the Total Score winner Quentin Fillon Maillet. Johannes also sent a message to Quentin: I will be back to win my fourth Total Score title.

He, indeed, came back more assertive than ever. JT Boe of 2022/2023 is as good or better as JT Boe of 2018/2019 when he won a record-breaking 16 individual competitions. We compared the data from the first two trimesters of both seasons to see which Johannes is stronger.

For now, Johannes 22/23 seems as good as Johannes 18/19

At exactly the same point time four years ago, JT Boe count showed 11 wins after 14 competitions. We used the same World Cup Score calculation for the first 14 races of the 2018/19 and 2022/23 seasons: the number of JT Boe’s points is almost identical. It is worth noticing that the BMW IBU World Championships don't count towards the Total Score for the first time this season. In the 2018/2019 season, 23 results mattered for the Total Score. This winter, 21 is the number.

Johannes is challenging the best version of himself

In 2018/19, his form dropped a tad toward the end of the season, so it will be interesting to see how JT holds up this year. The next table (see below) shows, that his form is actually trending higher this winter!

Why Johannes 22/23 is stronger than Johannes 18/19

Johannes 22/23 is faster on the skis, speedier on the shooting range, and more accurate with his rifle, and he is barely registering the penalty loops, such is his shape. But then, he spent his summer working harder than ever, pounding kilometres on the treadmill he calls The Beast. Even better, click here and reread Johannes's pre-season interview. He is just walking the talk.

Graphics and analysis: Robert Weise, Biathlon Analytics