I didn’t know that the new Olympic biathlon emperor, Boe, would play out so well.

Enter 2022.02.18 21:47
Edited 2022.02.18 21:47

4 gold medals at the Winter Olympics following 20 years… Side by side with idol Bierndalen

Biathlon, which combines cross-country skiing and shooting, is a sport unfamiliar to people outside of Northern Europe.

However, if you are a sports fan, you may have heard the name Ole Einar Bierndalen (48, Norway) at least once, even if you do not know regarding biathlon.

Bierndalen achieved overwhelming results in this event to the extent that he was called the ‘King of Biathlon’.

After retiring in 2018, Bierndalen competed in six Olympics, winning eight gold, four silver and one bronze.

No athlete has ever won more medals in a biathlon than that.

Bierndalen won four gold medals at the 2002 Salt Lake City Championships.

It was the second record following Eric Haydn (USA), who won five gold medals in speed skating at the 1980 Lake Placid event.

The last 4 gold medals that rarely appeared for Bierndalen came out 20 years later at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Norway’s Johannes Boe (29) was the first to cross the finish line in the men’s 15km biathlon mass start at the National Biathlon Center in Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, China.

In Norway, where biathlon is one of the most popular sports, Bjerndalen is the idol of many children.

Boe also took Bierndalen as an idol and ran all the way to Beijing.

When he was considered one of the many prospects, Bierndahlen praised him as “the future of Norwegian biathlon” as a great motivation.

If Bierndalen is an idol, then his older brother Tariei Boe, 34, is a companion.

Boe’s original dream was to become a professional soccer player.

From the age of five, he received professional training in youth clubs.

However, it is said that he was fascinated by the sight of his older brother, a biathlete, navigating through the snow, so he took off his soccer shoes and put on ski boots.

Johannes Boer, who grew up by competing with his older brother and sometimes supporting each other, made his Olympic debut at the 2014 Sochi Games.

Then, at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, he won one gold medal and two silver medals, standing on the podium for the first time.

In the three world championships held following the Pyeongchang Games, Boe swept a total of nine gold medals.

In addition, he ranked first in the World Cup overall rankings for three consecutive seasons, heralding his rise to the ‘next-generation emperor’ following Bierndalen, and eventually stood shoulder to shoulder with idols.

Tariei Boe also successfully finished the competition with two gold medals, one silver and one bronze medal.

After the race, Johannes Boe said, “The Beijing Olympics was a stage I’ve been dreaming of for a long time.

/yunhap news