Biathlon
Biathlon: Norway’s breakout star Johan‑Olav Botn was once left out — considered switching to Sweden
December 20, 2025 / SVT Sport
Norwegian biathlete Johan‑Olav Botn, now leading the overall World Cup and wearing the yellow bib with three wins this season, says he was not given a single World Cup start last year despite dominating the IBU Cup. During that period he seriously considered changing nationality to compete for Sweden and even spoke with a Swedish coach. His rapid rise this winter underscores how close he came to leaving Norway after the snub.
Biathlon World Cup: Veteran Eder shines again – Hauser impresses
December 20, 2025 / Kronen Zeitung (krone.at)
At the Annecy (Le Grand-Bornand) World Cup pursuits, Austria’s Lisa Hauser finished 8th with one penalty, 48.1 seconds behind winner Lou Jeanmonnot, while 42‑year‑old Simon Eder shot clean and climbed to 9th, 1:18.6 behind Johan‑Olav Botn. Eder celebrated his first World Cup top‑10 since spring 2023, and Hauser called her charge from 20th in the sprint to 8th in the pursuit “almost like an unofficial World Cup win.” Teammate Anna Andexer took 26th and also qualified for Sunday’s mass start.
Johan‑Olav Botn praised after pursuit victory: “Incredible”
December 20, 2025 / SVT Sport
Norway’s Johan‑Olav Botn won the men’s biathlon pursuit in Le Grand‑Bornand after shooting clean, claiming his third World Cup victory and extending his lead in the overall standings. France’s Émilien Jacquelin was second and Norway’s Johannes Dale‑Skjevdal third, while Swedes Sebastian Samuelsson and Martin Ponsiluoma placed fifth and sixth after early shooting troubles. Botn celebrated in a quirky way, joking that he’d been told he doesn’t celebrate enough.
Botn triumphs in pursuit: “Raw to watch”
December 20, 2025 / NRK Sport
Norway’s Johan‑Olav Botn won the men’s 12.5 km pursuit at the Biathlon World Cup in Le Grand‑Bornand with a flawless 20/20 on the range, delighting a record crowd of 21,000. Teammate Sivert Bakken revealed he had predicted in summer that Botn was the world’s best biathlete, while Ola Lunde praised Botn’s current shooting level as among the best he has seen. Émilien Jacquelin finished second and Johannes Dale‑Skjevdal third; other Norwegians included Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen (7th), Sturla Holm Lægreid (8th), Sivert Bakken (18th) and Isak Frey (36th).
Biathlon: Sebastian Samuelsson’s shooting collapse in Annecy: “It’s crazy”
December 20, 2025 / SVT Sport
Sebastian Samuelsson started the pursuit in Annecy as sixth but missed three shots in his first prone, dropping to 18th before recovering to finish fifth. Coach Jean‑Marc Chabloz called the early shooting “crazy” and hard to explain. Norway’s Johan‑Olav Botn won the race, his third victory of the season; Martin Ponsiluoma was sixth and had the second‑fastest ski time behind Samuelsson.
Biathlon: Hanna Öberg’s missed shots cost her the pursuit win
December 20, 2025 / SVT Sport
Hanna Öberg started first in the World Cup pursuit at Le Grand-Bornand after winning the sprint, but two misses in the third shooting and another in the fourth dropped her to seventh. France’s Lou Jeanmonnot won ahead of Suvi Minkkinen and Dorothea Wierer, and Jeanmonnot also took over the overall World Cup lead from Sweden’s Anna Magnusson. Shooting coach Jean‑Marc Chabloz criticized Öberg’s third bout, while Öberg noted one fewer miss likely would have secured a podium.
Pursuit in Annecy: Botn wins again as Germany laments shooting woes
December 20, 2025 / Sportschau
Norway’s Johan‑Olav Botn claimed the men’s pursuit victory in Annecy/Le Grand‑Bornand to extend his overall World Cup lead, sealing it with a composed final shooting. Emilien Jacquelin finished second and Johannes Dale‑Skjevdal third after two last‑range misses, while Germany’s Philipp Nawrath was 10th and Justus Strelow slipped to 23rd with two final‑stage errors. Warm, soft snow conditions favored good ski setups for Germany, but excessive shooting mistakes remained the team’s main issue.
Biathlete Johannes Dale‑Skjevdal calls for better support for fathers in elite sport
December 20, 2025 / NRK Sport
Norwegian biathlete Johannes Dale‑Skjevdal, a new father, says the 250 travel days in an Olympic season make it hard to balance family life and top‑level sport, and he is urging clearer frameworks to allow athletes to have their families join periodically. The federation has begun accommodating him, such as providing a larger room during the season opener in Geilo, and national team coach Per Arne Botnan says they will seek solutions, citing past successful adjustments for Liv Grete Skjelbreid. Dale‑Skjevdal recently took his first World Cup podium of the season in France and hopes his family can be with him for a period ahead of the 2026 Olympics.
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Johan‑Olav Botn dominates pursuit in Annecy, underlining Olympic form for Milano‑Cortina 2026
December 20, 2025 / Eurosport Norway
Norway’s Johan‑Olav Botn won the men’s pursuit in Annecy–Le Grand‑Bornand with four clean shootings, taking his third individual World Cup victory of the season and consolidating the overall lead. Émilien Jacquelin finished second with Johannes Dale‑Skjevdal third, while several other Norwegians placed inside the top 10. Pundits hailed Botn as a leading medal favorite for all Olympic events at Milano‑Cortina 2026.
Frustrated Swedish star on Norway’s sprint sweep: “A crisis”
December 19, 2025 / NRK Sport
Norway dominated the men’s biathlon sprint in Le Grand-Bornand, taking four of the top five places, with Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen winning and Johannes Dale‑Skjevdal second. Sweden’s Sebastian Samuelsson called the result a “crisis,” prompting a sharp rebuttal from Norway’s Johan‑Olav Botn. Sjåstad Christiansen, who said the win effectively secured his Olympic berth, described the effort as brutally hard amid recent illness issues on the Norwegian team.
Biathlon: Samuelsson sixth after huge skiing in Annecy sprint
December 19, 2025 / SVT Sport
Sebastian Samuelsson led into the final shooting of the men’s 10 km sprint in Annecy but two misses in standing dropped him to sixth, 8.8 seconds behind winner Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen, who shot clean. Martin Ponsiluoma also skied strongly but with two misses finished seventh at +12.2. All Swedish men, including Jesper Nelin, Henning Sjökvist, Oscar Andersson and Malte Stefansson, qualified for the pursuit; Andersson and Sjökvist scored their first World Cup points.
Biathlon: Exhausted Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen after sprint win in Annecy
December 19, 2025 / SVT Sport
Norway’s Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen shot clean and won the men’s 10 km sprint in Annecy by 3.5 seconds over teammate Johannes Dale‑Skjevdal. In heavy, slow conditions, Christiansen said he dug deeper than he has in years and was visibly spent at the finish. Sweden’s Sebastian Samuelsson placed sixth, 8.8 seconds back with two misses, and Christiansen noted the victory is crucial in Norway’s fierce selection battle ahead of the 2026 Olympics.