Biathlon: The Waxmafia helps: don’t stop Norway’s biathletes

Johannes Thingnes Bö would probably still win on these skis. When the Norwegian ski technicians recently published a video showing how they prepared the cross-country ski slats with sparkling wine instead of wax and thus supposedly revealed their secret recipe, it caused a lot of laughs on Instagram.

The atmosphere in the team could hardly be better. With a month to go before the Biathlon World Championships in Oberhof, the Norwegians are so dominating that one has to wonder if they will leave the other nations with any medals at all. At the upcoming World Cup on Wednesday in Ruhpolding, they want to continue their triumphal march – and that is increasingly frustrating the competition.

“In my world I really exclude him. It’s another league again,” said Roman Rees recently about Dominator Bö. While the Germans have to fight hard for every top ten result, the 29-year-old Bö won seven out of ten races almost effortlessly. The next overall World Cup victory is only a matter of time for the five-time Olympic champion, the only serious competitor is teammate Sturla Holm Laegreid, who is already more than 100 points behind. Five Norwegians are among the top seven in the overall standings, and there was even a triple sprint success in Pokljuka.

Bö and Co. seem out of reach

“It’s important for us as a German team to be competitive, at least in the areas where we have a connection with Sweden and France, and to have them under control when in doubt,” said Rees. Bö and Co. seem out of reach. Teammate Benedikt Doll added: “They’re just really fast.” And that is in fact also due to their skis. The Waxmafia, as the ski technicians jokingly call themselves on Instagram, always manages to deliver the best material. “We also have the strongest wax team. All this success is a team effort,” said Olympic champion Tarjei Bö of the German Press Agency.

What is the secret of their success? “The culture in Norway is very good for biathlon right now,” says the 34-year-old, who is in top form shortly before the season’s high point: “It’s an absolute luxury problem. We have ten people who can take part in the World Cup today and made it into the top ten, some could always win.” Luckily for the rest, a maximum of six starters from one nation are allowed to compete in the World Cup, at the World Championships there are even only four or a maximum of five. “We’ve had this “problem” in Norway for a long time in cross-country skiing – and now it’s the same in biathlon,” said Bö about the oversupply of talent.

The older brother of Johannes Thingnes Bö knows about his own strength, but there are no declarations of war. “Everything can be different in Oberhof, so we remain humble and focused,” he said. In the individual on Wednesday (2:10 p.m. / ARD and Eurosport), the eleven-time world champion and his teammates should once again largely make up the podium places in the Chiemgau Arena among themselves.

Women’s field more balanced

In Germany one dreams of such a dominance. “In Norway you start skiing at the age of four, it’s part of the lifestyle,” explained Sverre Olsbu Röiseland. The 32-year-old Norwegian has been the assistant coach of the German women’s team since this season. He knows the system in his home country very well, but doesn’t think it’s perfect. With the right program and good coaches, you could create world-class athletes from a smaller pool. “There is no reason why we in Germany cannot be the best nation again,” said Marte Olsbu Röiseland’s husband.

Because the 32-year-old Röiseland is not fully back after her corona infection, just like Tiril Eckhoff, who is still not competing because of Long Covid, the women’s field is more balanced.

Bö, meanwhile, doesn’t believe that the World Championships will be a walk in the park for the Norwegians and that they just have to pick up the medals. “The Germans and the French are at a very high level,” said the veteran: “When you then go to the World Cup, they are there all of a sudden, out of nowhere.”