THE ONLINE NEWSPAPER: Tarjei Bø, Johannes Thingnes Bø, Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen and Sturla Holm Lægreid were the Norwegian men who had the task of delivering gold in the last joint start race in Nové Město.
Johannes Thingnes Bø was the big favorite at the front, with brother Tarjei and Holm Lægreid as two of the biggest challengers.
The world champion was openly pleased after the gold:
– It has been some wonderful years for me, and it was a dream to be able to stand alone at the last shooting, he tells TV 2.
Ole Einar Bjørndalen took notice of the Bø brothers, who helped each other at the start of the race where they set speed from the start.
– We put together a small “Bø plan”, which not everyone else was prepared for. It worked well, says Thingnes Bø after the race.
Drama after the finish line
Shortly after Johannes Thingnes Bø crossed the finish line as the supreme winner of the race, German Johannes Kühn fell over the finish line and bled profusely from the face.
The German was lying for several minutes in the goal area, before he received medical help on the spot.
– There is blood here! This does not look good for the German. But we have no idea what has happened, told TV 2’s Ole Kristian Stoltenberg as the picture rolled across the screen.
Kühn finally got to his feet, and was carried out of the goal area with some assistance.
Now he tells TV 2 about the situation.
– On the last lap, I lost contact with the ground, and I fell. In the fall itself, the rifle hit me in the head, and after a short while I felt the blood start to flow, he describes.
And keep going:
– I don’t quite know where it hit me, but right now I have a bit of a headache. I’ve had better days
Tarjei opna best
Tarjei was the only one of the three Norwegian favorites to shoot flawlessly on the first shoot. Both Lægreid and Thingnes Bø had to go to a penalty round.
– There were a lot of booms here. It was fast at the start, said Ole Einar Bjørndalen about the first shooting.
Despite a barrier, Johannes was the fastest in the field, and with a full house on the second shooting, he was in the gold fight, together with his brother, who also shot down five out of five flashes.
Distanced the competitors
Johannes Thingnes Bø got together with his brother, French Quentin Fillon Maillet and Latvian Andrejs Rastorgujevs were close to the third shooting. When the Frenchman and older brother Bø stopped, Johannes could start from the front.
– For one, commented Marius Skjelbæk about the Norwegian WC king, who increased and increased his competitors.
– He is a master at staying focused, said Bjørndalen about little brother Bø.
With this victory, Thingnes Bø has 20 World Cup golds, which is a tangent to Ole Einar Bjørndalen’s record. It’s something no one thought was possible.
– It’s music. Now he has touched you! It shouldn’t be possible, Skjelbæk told colleague Bjørndalen.
– It is simply raw, said expert Petter Northug.
Rastorgujevs and Fillon Mallet took the other two podium places. Tarjei Bø was finally number four.