For the first time since the end of the season, Johannes Thingnes Bø has sat down in the interview chair during the Blink Festival in Sandnes. Only four shooting sessions since the end of the season have been completed, but now the 31-year-old is ready to start the new season – in familiar style, a little on the heels of the other competitors. He is also ready to talk about his future plans and how he wants to top off an already adventurous biathlon career. But we’ll start with the latest first: – I’ll admit that the long-term goal is to catch up with Ole Einar (Bjørndalen) in the number of World Cup victories, says Thingnes Bø to news. He continued: – That is actually what is the big goal for the next two years. WILL CRUSH THE LEGEND: Johannes Thingnes Bø and Ole Einar Bjørndalen during the WC in Nove Mesto. Photo: NTB Thingnes Bø, which has won the World Cup a total of five times, has no plans to lie on the lazy side this year either. At the time of writing, he is listed with 73 individual victories in the World Cup. Ole Einar Bjørndalen has 94. Only last year, when he won the World Cup for the third year in a row, he secured 12 individual victories. In other words – if he maintains the same level for two more seasons – he will be able to lower Bjørndalen’s record by a good margin. – Not publicly stated earlier From before, Thingnes Bø has already touched on his “rival” in the speech at the WC gold. It also happened during last year’s season when he took his 20th WC gold at the joint start in Nove Mesto. No one has more WC gold in biathlon on the men’s side than the Norwegian duo. – That means a lot. He is a proper idol, so to have the same number as him is great, Thingnes told news at the time, about the number he was never supposed to achieve. But now he wants to become bigger than the “idol” himself. A statement that surprises Egil Kristiansen. – He probably hasn’t stated it publicly before, says the national team coach to news and continues: – It will be interesting to see if he can do it. He certainly has potential. Because before there has been more talk between the lines, Kristiansen points out, who at the same time thinks it is good that Thingnes Bø has set himself high goals. GIVING SUPPORT: Egil Kristiansen thinks it’s good that Johannes Thingnes Bø, who has won the World Cup five times, has set himself high goals. Photo: NTB – We’ll see if he manages it before he gives up, he says: – It’s a tough goal. – Very abrupt ending But the biathlete, who became a father of two last year, has steered clear of the thought of records so far this summer. He has neither seen nor thought about the World Cup trophy he won in Canada since he landed at Oslo airport. – What has a typical weekday looked like for you since the end of the season? – It is a very abrupt end from living very strictly, with regard to food, sleep, rest, recovery and competitions. The head is very focused on doing the selfish things, to turn things around overnight, he says. FAR BEHIND: Johannes Thingnes Bø during the Flash Festival in Sandnes, where he finished eleventh in the super sprint and was on the winning team in the mixed relay. Photo: NTB – It happens automatically that the head just switches over to what is happening at home. In other words, family life has been our first priority. It is also well known in the biathlon community that Thingnes Bø has a completely unique ability to turn on the switch when it really matters. He also manages to turn it off when it doesn’t apply. – How important is it to you to have that time with your family? – I think that is very important for everyone who gets their own family. I notice that I manage to put biathlon away, because I don’t have room or time to think about it. But before I had children I was in that bubble all year. Thingnes Bø points out that he prioritizes differently after starting a family. Now he breaks up the year in chunks. Something that is both positive and healthy, he believes. – I certainly see that it can be a burden, but to a certain extent it must give you more than it takes. I think in a way that you are even better at making use of the time after you have become a parent, he says. – Having sacrificed the least one must Thingnes Bø underlines that he has found the balance between top sporting life and being a toddler. Some of the result lists do not contradict. Stryningen is an easily trained guy who needs little training to get in shape. Something that allows him to take family life to a greater extent, he believes. – It is something I am very proud of and happy that I can do. The day I quit, I can look back on my career and see that I achieved both. I feel I have sacrificed the least one has to do to be part of this, he elaborates. But last week the season started in earnest with the Blinkfestivalen in Sandnes, and Thingnes Bø got the answer he expected. Although the coach was skeptical at the outset. PARENTS OF TWO CHILDREN: Johannes Thingnes Bø and his wife Hedda Dæhli Bø back in 2019. Together they are the parents of son Gustav and daughter Sofie. Photo: NTB – I think he will probably get a shock, Kristiansen told news, before the race. But Thingnes Bø, according to himself, has full control. – I am excited about what has been done and what is to be done. – In my eyes, it is very stupid to start too early. As there are many, many months until the snow lies, he says. Now the daughter has started kindergarten and the “biathlon prince” thus gets five days a week with more time for training during the day. He will be involved in almost all gatherings throughout the autumn. – I’m really looking forward to that autumn here. I have a lot of energy and a lot of motivation. Where people might be a bit tired of training, I have only just started, in a way, says a Thingnes Bø in pursuit of a record. Published 13.08.2024, at 06.24
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