Johan‑Olav Botn praised after pursuit victory: “Incredible”

Norway’s Johan‑Olav Botn delivered a flawless performance in Saturday’s men’s biathlon pursuit, shooting clean to secure victory and his third World Cup win of the season. The result strengthens his grip on the overall World Cup lead, keeping him in the yellow bib.

SVT’s commentator Ola Bränholm called the victory “magical,” and expert Mona Brorsson remarked in Vinterstudion that Botn looks “unstoppable” right now. After crossing the line, Botn celebrated in a playful, unusual way, saying he’d been told he doesn’t celebrate enough and had been thinking about what to do throughout the final lap.

The podium featured two Norwegians: Botn on top and Johannes Dale‑Skjevdal in third, with France’s Émilien Jacquelin finishing second. Sweden’s Sebastian Samuelsson and Martin Ponsiluoma ended up fifth and sixth, respectively, after Samuelsson’s race was hampered by three early misses in his first shooting stage.

Sweden’s other finishers were: Jesper Nelin 21st, Malte Stefansson 37th, Henning Sjökvist 45th, and Oscar Andersson 48th.

The competition took place in Le Grand‑Bornand, France, as part of the Biathlon World Cup round at the venue.