Johannes Thingnes Bø’s adventure on the national team started at Hafjell in 2012. The teenager came to the meeting full of expectations and excitement.
Being placed in a room with Ole Einar Bjørndalen was no less exciting. The respect for the biathlon legend was great and Thingnes Bø obediently laid down at the top of the bunk bed.
– Ole was coming later in the evening, so then I couldn’t take the family bunk at the bottom. So I was kind and kind-hearted, respect for the king himself, says the irony.
After a while, Bjørndalen came tumbling into the room. But what could have been a long-term cohabitation ended after a meeting.
FRESK: Johannes Thingnes Bø has been on the national team for 12 years. Here from early in his career.
Photo: NTB
Move out immediately
It did not take long before Bjørndalen had had enough of Thingnes Bø’s nocturnal habits.
– It was exciting, until we discovered that he was snoring like an old man at night. So then we didn’t become roommates anymore. Then he mostly got a single room, he grins.
Thingnes Bø remembers that Bjørndalen went and settled down elsewhere. That was not how he wanted to introduce himself to the great hero.
– Since then we have hardly been roommates. He said that he does not want to live with someone who snores.
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Bjørndalen’s tribute
Three months after Bjørndalen broke through with three golds in the Junior WC in 1993, Thingnes Bø was born. He grew up with the superstar on the TV screen, and dreams came true when they eventually became teammates.
Already at the first gathering, Thingnes Bø excelled. Few know more about biathlon than Bjørndalen and what it takes to be successful. The young jypling had it.
Still a bit frail, but with a head built for biathlon, he impressed from the start.
– He was young in age, but he has always been mature in his behaviour, mature in the way he communicates with people. He has always been five years ahead of his age, believes Bjørndalen.
LEGEND: Ole Einar Bjørndalen is among the greatest of all time in biathlon.
Photo: Roy Kenneth Sydnes Jacobsen / NRK
The endurance was there from the start, and gradually the necessary muscle mass also came. “He can be as good as he wants”, thought Bjørndalen.
– For me, Johannes was motivating, forward-thinking and intelligent. Not least, he was extremely fearless. He had zero respect when he joined the team, says Bjørndalen and continued:
– It shows an independent person and a person who had the opportunity to get there. We saw that very early on. But we could not have predicted that he would become as raw as he has been in recent years.
GAMERS: The men’s biathlon have contributed to gaming to make the hours go by in the WC city of Nove Mesto.
The magician Thingnes Bø
The young snorkeler would eventually become Bjørndalen’s heir, as the supremely best biathlete in the world.
Today, Bjørndalen follows the World Championships in biathlon as an expert for TV 2. In Nove Mesto, he has so far seen Thingnes Bø secure two gold and two silver medals for an ever-growing collection of medals.
He sees much of the same now, as when the westerner first joined the national team.
– This is what Johannes is. He manages to conjure up championship form. He has not been close to this form earlier this year, but now he is at his best again.
MEDAL: In the WC in Hochfilzen in 2017, Thingnes Bø and Bjørndalen were on the podium together.
Photo: NTB
The winner’s skull is turned on and in WC mode.
– He is an extremely smart biathlete, praises Bjørndalen.
Who is the greatest?
Johannes Thingnes Bø’s collection now measures 19 WC golds. There is only one behind Bjørndalen’s 20 – the currently winningest biathlete in history.
– It’s huge, says Thingnes Bø, but reminds that there are more rehearsals on the program today compared to before.
– But then I won’t keep going until I’m 44 either. It might go up a bit.
GULLGUT: The medal hunt in Nove Mesto has started.
Photo: NTB
Bjørndalen is comfortable with being breathed down the neck by Thingnes Bø, and is sure that the gold record will soon be broken.
– He is well underway, and he will continue for several years. It’s an easy match for him, says TV 2’s expert.
On the other hand, when asked who is the best, Thingnes Bø is clear in his speech.
– Ole Einar. I would rank Ole Einar as the king of biathlon in his own way, I think Martin Fourcade was completely raw in his. They are both role models.
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