2022 Olympic biathlon in review: Boe lives up to billing

Norwegian biathletes accelerate Olympic gold tally to 15

Johannes Thingnes Boe of Norway did not disappoint at the 2022 Winter Olympics. He guided Norway to a total of 14 medals in biathlon and earned his final gold in the 15km mass start. His mass start medal marked the 15th gold for Norway, the most gold medals a nation has ever won at a single Olympics. His compatriot Marte Olsbu Roeiseland also aided in Norway’s record breaking medal tally and won five medals at the 2022 Winter Olympics, three of them gold. Roeiseland was the first woman to win five medals at a single Olympics in biathlon. She held off competitors like Hanna and Elivira Oeberg who currently dominate Sweden's biathlon landscape, securing three medals for the Swedes in the women’s relay, 10km pursuit and 7.5km sprint.

The biathlon course in Zhangjiakou had an elevation of 1700m with blistering cross winds. The conditions complicated competing in the range and on the course. France’s Quentin Fillon Maillet was poised to become the first athlete in the history of the Winter Olympics to win six medals at a single edition of the Games. He was 5-for-5 when he missed the podium in the final men’s event in Beijing, the men’s coveted 15km mass start. France won seven Olympic medals in biathlon, Maillet won five of them.

For all the biathlon action at the 2022 Winter Olympics, scroll down for medal tallies, event summaries, recaps and highlights.

Medal table (W+M)

Women's event summary

Mixed relay 4x6km (W+M)

Coming out victorious in a grueling yet valiant performance, the Norwegian quartet of Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, Tiril Eckhoff, Tarjei Boe and Johannes Thingnes Boe added another gold medal to their 2014 Sochi win.  “JT” Boe crossed the finish line with a time of 1:06:45.6. Latypov earned his first piece of Olympic hardware, ending the race with a bronze medal for the ROC. France took silver.

🥇 Norway, NOR, 1:06:45.6
🥈 France, FRA, +0.9
🥉 ROC, ROC, +1.5

RECAP: Norway wins biathlon mixed 4x6km relay gold, France second

Women’s 15km individual

Germany’s Denise Herrmann took gold in the women’s individual 15km final. Crossing the line with a final time of 44:12.7. She only missed one target during the first stage of prone shooting which aided in her success. Each missed shot added one minute onto an athlete's time. France’s Anais Chevalier-Bouchet suffered from these conditions and took silver after missing a target in her last shooting stage in the standing position. Marte Olsbu Roeiseland took bronze.

🥇 Denise Herrmann, GER, 44:12.7
🥈 Anais Chevalier-Bouchet, FRA, +9.4
🥉 Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, NOR, +15.3

RECAP: How Denise Herrmann stole Olympic gold in the women's 15km

Women’s 7.5km sprint

As a double threat on the course with great shooting skills and unwavering confidence on her skis, Marte Olsbu Roeiseland rose to the occasion to put down a gold medal performance. This win allowed her to start the sprint race first. Roeiseland’s shooting stats have been huge over the last two months with 92% accuracy in prone and 93% in standing. Only a handful of athletes are better at shooting in the standing position. She hit every target in the prone and standing stages.

🥇 Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, NOR, 20:44.3
🥈 Elvira Oeberg, SWE, +30.9
🥉 Dorothea Wierer, ITA, +37.2

RECAP: Roeiseland adds to Norway's gold medal count in glorious 7.5km sprint

Women’s 10km pursuit

Marte Olsbu Roeiseland became the first female biathlete to win four Olympic medals in four different disciplines at any Winter Olympics. Prior to the pursuit, Roeiseland won gold in the mixed relay and women’s sprint, and bronze in the women’s 15km individual. She finished the race in first at 34:46.9. Roeiseland began with a 31 second gap over Sweden’s Elvira Oeberg who ended the sprint in second and finished the pursuit in the same position.

🥇 Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, NOR, 31:38.2
🥈 Elvira Oeberg, SWE, +1:42.4
🥉 Tiril Eckhoff, NOR, +2:13.7

RECAP: Roeiseland makes biathlon history with third Olympic gold in 10km pursuit

Women’s 4x6km relay

Elvira Oeberg anchored her team of Linn Persson, Mona Brorsson and Hanna Oeberg to a glorious golden finish with a final time of 1:11:03.9. ROC’s relay team finished second and Germany finished third 37.4 seconds behind. Elvira Oeberg shot perfectly in the prone stage and only missed one in the standing. This was the first Olympic gold medal in biathlon for Sweden at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

🥇 Sweden, SWE, 1:11:03.9
🥈 ROC, ROC, +12.0
🥉 Germany, GER, +37.4

RECAP: Sweden's Oeberg sisters shine in women's relay to win gold

Women’s 12.5km mass start

Justine Braisaz-Bouchet of France won the final gold medal of the women’s 2022 Olympics biathlon program. She crossed the finish line of the 12.5km mass start at 40:18:0 after missing four targets. The 25-year-old was originally not contended to be in the top three after her disappointing 40th place finish in the 15km individual event. But, her fast ski speed in her penalty loops and short time spent in the range was enough to keep her lead over the Norwegians. Tiril Eckhoff is down at 79% shooting accuracy this season and had two shaky shooting stages with four missed targets. She managed to stay in contact with Roeiseland after each shooting stage and pushed past her to finish 15.3 later, winning silver.

🥇 Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, FRA, 40:18.0
🥈 Tiril Eckhoff, NOR, +15.3
🥉 Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, NOR, +34.9

RECAP: France’s Braisaz-Bouchet stuns Norwegians in 12.5km mass start

Men's event summary

Mixed relay 4x6km (W+M)

Coming out victorious in a grueling yet valiant performance, the Norwegian quartet of Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, Tiril Eckhoff, Tarjei Boe and Johannes Thingnes Boe added another gold medal to their 2014 Sochi win.  “JT” Boe crossed the finish line with a time of 1:06:45.6. Latypov earned his first piece of Olympic hardware, ending the race with a bronze medal for the ROC. France took silver.

🥇 Norway, NOR, 1:06:45.6
🥈 France, FRA, +0.9
🥉 ROC, ROC, +1.5

RECAP: Norway wins biathlon mixed 4x6km relay gold, France second

Men’s 20km individual

Despite two misses on target, Quentin Fillon Maillet crossed the finish line at 48:47.4. He played off Johannes Thingnes Boe’s miss on target and he finished the race with a time of 49:18.5, taking bronze. Anton Smolski put Belarus back on the biathlon scene with a final time of 49:02.2 winning silver. This was Maillet’s first individual gold medal.

🥇 Quentin Fillon-Maillet, FRA, 48:47.4
🥈 Anton Smolski, BLR, +14.8
🥉 Johannes Thingnes Boe, NOR, +31.1

RECAP: In the race of his life, France’s Maillet wins gold in individual 20km

Men’s 10km sprint

Norwegian biathlon champion Johannes Thingnes Boe did not disappoint and set out on a brisk pace against his brother Tarjei Boe and French rival Quentin Fillon Maillet. “TJ” Boe finished the race in first place at 24:00.4. His brother Tarjei Boe was 38.9 seconds slower and took bronze for his first individual Olympic medal. This was the first time brothers stood together on the Olympic podium in biathlon.

🥇 Johannes Thingnes Boe, NOR, 24:00.4
🥈 Quentin Fillon-Maillet, FRA, +25.5
🥉 Tarjei Boe, NOR, +38.9

RECAP: Boe brothers sandwich 10km sprint podium, Maillet earns silver

Men’s 12.5km pursuit

France’s Quentin Fillon Maillet shot clean in the range, hitting all 20 targets to secure his second gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics with a time of 39:07.5. Maillet’s medal tally at the 2022 Winter Olympics was brought to four with two gold and two silver medals. The fan-favorite biathlete from Norway Johannes Thingnes Boe, had a tragic time on the course and missed the target seven times. He failed to make the podium.

🥇 Quentin Fillon-Maillet, FRA, 39:07.5
🥈 Tarjei Boe, NOR, +28.6
🥉 Eduard Latypov, ROC, +35.3

RECAP: Quentin Fillon Maillet is 4-for-4 after sealing 12.5km pursuit gold

Men’s 4x7.5km relay

Norway’s team of Sturla Holm Laegreid, Tarjei Boe, Johannes Thingnes Boe and Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen were favorites coming into the relay and clinched gold at 1:19:50.2 when ROC’s Eduard Latypov let the Russian’s lead slip through his frozen fingers. Latypov anchored the relay for the ROC and was unable to continue the consistency he put down prior, going clean in the prone shooting. He missed four shots on target and had to do two penalty laps of 150m.

🥇 Norway, NOR, 1:19:50.2
🥈 France, FRA, +27.4
🥉 ROC, ROC, +45.3

RECAP: Norway refused to be caught in men’s 4x7.5km relay, stole gold from ROC

Men’s 15km mass start

Johannes Thingnes Boe took gold with ease at 35:44.4. He walked away from the 2022 Winter Olympics with four gold medals from the mixed relay, men’s relay, 10km sprint and 20km individual. His win in the mass start marked Norway’s 15th gold medal at the 2022 Games, the most gold medals a nation has ever won at a single Winter Olympics. Martin Ponsiluoma of Sweden shot the most consistently. He won his first silver medal, missing a total of two targets and crossed the line at 38:54.7. Norway’s Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen finished the race 1:12.5 behind Boe and won bronze.

🥇 Johannes Thingnes Boe, NOR, 38:14.4
🥈 Martin Ponsiluoma, SWE, +40.3
🥉 Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen, NOR, +1:12.5

RECAP: Johannes Thingnes Boe seals Norway's record breaking 15th Olympic gold