JT Boe was fast and accurate in the prone stages, making sure that his brother Tarjei stayed a safe distance behind him before the second half of the competition. Boe brothers each missed one shot in the first standing stage as Johannes built his lead to 56 seconds before the last shooting. As so often this winter, Johannes opted for a swift cadence, knowing that one or two penalty loops couldn’t endanger his fifth win in the Pursuit in the BMW IBU World Cup this season and fifth World cup Sprint - Pursuit double.
“I was aware of the wind from the beginning. With the wind steadier, I opted for fast shooting in the standing. It was a good day. People here wake you up throughout the course, and the BMW IBU World Championships in 2024 will be very special,” said Boe.
Ponsiluoma, the fastest skier of the day, fought back multiple times and used the opportunity in the last lap as Benedikt Doll (once) and Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen (once) and Fabien Claude (twice), carrying advantage over him before the concluding shooting, also went into the penalty loop.
Doll, with 18/20, finished fourth, 1:14.5 behind the winner. Frenchmen Fabien Claude and Antonin Guigonnat each missed four shots and completed the podium, both 1:37.9 behind the Norwegian superstar.
JT Boe has 1,319 points atop the Total Score standings before the next individual competitions in Oestersund next week. With Sturla Holm Laegreid on the sidelines due to the C-19, JT Boe now has a 399-point lead over his teammate.
With five competitions to go - and 450 points still available - Johannes needs 52 points to secure his fourth Total Score title.
Photo: IBU/C. Manzoni, J. Svoboda