JT Boe arrived in Oberhof unbeaten in 2023 and collected seven medals. Denise Herrmann-Wick was the face of Oberhof and the main force behind Der Zug hat keine Bremse, a theme song of the German team. Italian women made history with Relay Gold, which connected three generations of biathletes and made Lisa Vittozzi’s 2022/2023 stunning comeback perfect. Hanna Oeberg thrived on new-found biathlon happiness. And Lisa Theresa Hauser and David Komatz kept their heads unperturbed - and hands steady - when the wind in the Single Mixed Relay had one of its standard dance performances in Oberhof.

Johannes 007

JT Boe won seven medals in Oberhof, of which five were Gold. He is the first man - and only the second biathlete after Marte Olsbu Roeiseland’s seven Top 3 finishes at the BMW IBU World Championships Antholz-Anterselva 2020 - to do so. After Oberhof 2023, Johannes has 17 Gold medals (and 31 altogether) to his name at the BMW IBU World Championships and is closing his gap on The Great Ole Einar Bjoerndalen. There are, of course, a few chapters still waiting to be written in his career in the coming seasons.

Happy Hanna, happy Sweden

Sitting sick at home during Christmas and with her form nowhere near where she wanted it to be, Hanna Oeberg had enough time to reflect on her life as a biathlete. She wasn’t happy. She was pushing, not pulling things. As 2023 arrived, her spirits and her form started to rise just in time for Oberhof 2023. With her thoughts bright and light and her shape impeccable, she won in the Individual - five years after she stunned the world with the Individual Gold at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 - and added four medals to her nation’s tally of 11, a record for Sweden.

Herrmann-Wick's Zug hat keine Bremse

Denise Herrmann - Wick was the face of Oberhof 2023. She embraced her superstar and hopes-carrying status like only a true champion would. She set Germany on fire with the Sprint Gold and theme song Der Zug hat keine Bremse took off with and didn’t stop until the last day. Herrmann-Wick added a Silver in the Pursuit and in the Women’s relay, showing way for Vanessa Voigt, Sophia Schneider and Hanna Kebinger.

Golden Ragazze make history

Samuela Comola, Dorothea Wierer, Hannah Auchentaller, and Lisa Vittozzi used just two spare rounds in a pitch-perfect Golden performance in the Women’s Relay. It was a historic moment for the Italian biathlon, which saw three generations of biathletes work together for a crowning achievement, brought over the finish line by Vittozzi, one of the stars of Oberhof 2023.

Lisa Theresa and David go Silver

In perhaps the most emotional competition of Oberhof 2023, Lisa Theresa Hauser and David Komatz teamed up, each using just three reloads, to take a Silver medal for Austria. World champion Hauser had 100% trust in Komatz, who is yet to score a Top 10 finish in the individual competitions in the BMW IBU World Cup but was a member of the Austrian quartet that took a Silver medal in the Mixed relay at the BMW IBU World Championships Pokljuka 2021.

Photo: IBU/C. Manzoni, B. Reichert