Thirty-nine minutes and seventeen seconds on February 20 changed Johannes-Dale Skjevdal’s life forever. In his last chance for an Olympic medal, he shot clean, leaving his rivals in his dust and went on to win not just any medal, but Olympic Gold.

The oft-told story is worth a recap. After his second demotion to the IBU Cup in three years, Dale-Skjevdal rallied last November, earning a World Cup starting spot in the last competition at Norway’s Season Opener at Geilo. Two podiums at Le Grand Bornand paved the way for his first-ever Olympic berth leading to his stunning Olympic victory.

Olympic Gold “still feels awesome”

Reflecting on his big day a few weeks ago after a hard training day at Passo Lavaźe, he admitted, “Honestly, it still feels awesome! It is a great memory that I often think about. The Olympics itself and the moment I took the Gold medal will be with me forever; an experience I will never forget. There are so many great feelings around that moment. It is still awesome and always will be!”

Continuing, he added, “It was surreal. One thing is to dream about Olympic Gold; then it is about really believing in it. I knew that on a good day, my level was good enough to take it, but you have quite few chances to take it in your career. This was the last race in the Olympics and when I managed to do it. You know I had two other good races there (sixth Sprint and Pursuit) but no one cares about that. It is medals that count. Having that Olympic Gold at my home is something not many people have, so it is pretty cool!”

The Norwegian veteran’s previous success at the Sudtirol Arena, including second in the 2024 Antholz Mass Start, helped him at Milano Cortina.

“I was unusually calm for a race day. I have a lot of great memories and cool performances at Antholz; it is one of my favourite World Cup venues. I knew how I wanted to do the race. When I was alone after the third shooting, I knew what I wanted to do. I had a lot of confidence there and that made more comfortable and secure in that position.”

Chance of making Olympics, “like winning the lottery”

Much of Dale-Skjevdal’s medal is about the IBU Cup comeback. “A year before, I could not imagine this. You believe in yourself, but I was in the IBU Cup. I knew so many things had to fall into place to make it happen. I thought making the Olympics would be like winning the lottery when you need ten good numbers! Deep inside, I knew it was going to be really hard. I made it happen but the journey was not an easy road.”

“Having a kid has brought so much joy”

Having a family has made him a better biathlete, reinvigorating his career. “When you see the bigger picture, I really think it made me better. Two years ago, I was feeling like I need something more in my life, although I still loved biathlon as I do now. It was starting to be a bit too repetitive, year after year. I love the life but it is good to have something beyond sport. For me, having a kid has brought so much joy to my life. Being able to switch from biathlon to family life is huge. Not constantly being focused on biathlon has been really good for me.”

New Motivation

New coaches Patrick Oberegger and Anders Overby plus younger teammates like Johan-Olav Smoredal Botn and Martin Uldal pushing him in every training session adds, “new motivation. Things are a bit different than the last 10 years and that in itself is quite good motivation. It has been a big pleasure and also to have some new teammates. Of course, we knew those guys for a long time, but it is something else to be on the team together.”

“Need to remind myself…to not overcomplicate”

Turning the page, the 29-year-old feels the coaches might advise him, “to not overcomplicate anything. I am an athlete that does well when I am in a good flow; skiing, on the range and in life. I think I have been quite good at that lately, but it is something I have to remind myself of. I can see it when I try too hard in my shooting, it does not work. I need to have that rhythm and flow and not overcomplicate things. I still need to hear that in my ear.”

With a solid summer of training in the books and the new season fast approaching, Dale-Skjevdal revealed that last February, “Patience was the lesson I learned at the Olympics. You can never give up when you have one more chance.”

Photos: IBU/ Ola Wizor, Nordic Focus/Manzoni