Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, one of the greatest winter athletes ever, reflects on the surprising dynamics from the Oberhof week, explains why Maren Kirkeeide is the new star of Norwegian biathlon, what makes Johannes Thingnes so unique and how a bad goulash soup prevented him winning in the Sprint in Ruhpolding when he was an overwhelming favourite. And, yes, despite the disappointing Oberhof week, she still sees Franziska Preuss as the main contented for the Total Score win.

We saw a somehow unexpected start into 2025 with Paula Botet, Maren Kirkeeide, and Milena Todorova breaking through with their career-first podium - or as in Botet’s case, win. But as I follow biathlon quite closely, I wasn’t shocked. I have been following Todorova for some time. I knew that she trained very efficiently in the summer. I could see her finishing Top 6, maybe not Top 3. As for Botet, I knew her mother (Veronique Claudel) as we competed in the same period, but not Paula. But then the French keep producing top talent.

Maren Kirkeeide is a new star for Norway. She is a very clever athlete, taking one step at a time in her development. I knew she had world-class potential, but - to be honest - these two podiums surprised me as well. She struggles a bit with the opening ski speed to the races, but she closes the races convincingly with great accuracy in the standing shooting and usually fast final laps. I think Maren has a lot of room to improve her skiing speed. She can’t match the fastest - Elvira Oeberg, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet - right now.

Norwegian men had a poor shooting day in the windy conditions during the Oberhof Sprint. To not have one athlete on the podium is below their usual standard. However, they surprised me by taking all the Top 3 places in the Pursuit. I didn’t expect such a strong attack on the French team. I knew what Johannes was capable of, but Tarjei surprised me again. I am very happy for him. His health issues are behind him, and we can see how strong his body still is when working free of trouble. Although not as fast as some other athletes, Sturla is, of course, the best shooter in biathlon. Sturla will continue challenging Johannes in the coming weeks, already in the 20km Individual in Ruhpolding.

Johannes was sick, really sick, for a week during the Christmas period, yet he was the fastest skier in Oberhof. That is incredible! I never knew an athlete who could excel with so little training. He is a very smart and very confident athlete. He is mentally the most adult athlete. He knows his skills very well and knows his body's needs. We have athletes who have an X factor and could beat Johannes. Some shoot faster - like Martin Uldal. Some have faster final laps - like Vebjoern Soerum. Some often ski faster - like Sebastian Samuelsson. Some sprint better - like Endre Stroemsheim. We see the whole French team challenging him. Yet, Johannes usually prevails.

Just like Norwegian men, French women dominate in the World Cup and in the IBU Cup. They have four, five, six super-strong athletes. I don’t know what their secret is - most likely the depth of the talent pool.

Franziska Preuss, who still leads in the Total Score, definitely struggled with a late bib in the wet conditions in the Sprint in Oberhof and couldn’t really fight back in the Pursuit. I think she will be back to her December form in Ruhpolding. She knows Ruhpolding inside-out as she trains there. The pressure will be high, but that is what the German athletes need to live with. I still see her as the main favourite for the Total Score win.

One of my fondest memories from Ruhpolding is winning three titles at the IBU Junior World Championships when I was 18. The area was covered in snow, creating an unforgettable atmosphere. However, I also have a disappointing memory from that time. I was the top favourite to win the Sprint event, having shot 10 out of 10, and I should have easily taken the victory. Unfortunately, the night before the race, I ate some bad food—a goulash soup that had been sitting in the kitchen for six hours, and it wasn't even from the Norwegian team kitchen. As a result, I felt completely drained during the race due to issues related to that soup. I lost 28 seconds in the last lap and experienced a mental breakdown afterward.