Five-time World Biathlon Cup winner suddenly announces retirement, bursting into tears. Photo

The leader of the Norwegian biathlon team, Johannes Thingnes Bø, a five-time Olympic champion, has announcement retirement after current season. The athlete explained his move by wanting to spend more time with his family, emphasizing that preparing for the Olympic Games requires too much time and effort, both from him and his family.

In his Instagram post, Bø admitted that he has successfully balanced his career in sports with his family life for the past six years, but now he feels it's time to focus on his loved ones.

He noted that it was extremely important for him to feel the support of his people, especially in such difficult moments. In his post, the athlete also said that despite his love for the competition, the days at the start were getting shorter and the rest of them - harder.

Speaking about his decision at a press conference, the 31-year-old biathlete could not contain his emotions and burst into tears.

One of the turning points was his recent performance, probably the worst in his career. On January 15, at the 2024/2025 World Cup in Ruhpolding, he took 85th place in the individual race.

Throughout his career, Bø won five consecutive World Cups and also set records for the most World Cup stage wins - 88 - and 1 bronze. In 2024, he repeated this success at the World Championships in Nové Město, winning 3 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze medals.

Johannes Bø will finish his career at his home stadium in Holmenkollen, where he will take part in his last races from March 20 to 23, 2025.

As previously reported, Johannes Thingnes Bø, together with his teammates, took a picture with the Ukrainian flag on the podium at the 4th stage of the Biathlon World Cup in Oberhof, Germany. The Norwegians explained the act as a gesture of support for our country.

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