Biathlete Benedikt Doll finished fourth in the pursuit at the season finale in Oslo. Two days after his third place in the sprint, two penalties at the Holmenkollen prevented the 32-year-old from making another podium finish.
At the finish, the Black Forest rider was 55.3 seconds behind the superior winner, Johannes Thingnes Bö from Norway. Second place went to the flawless Frenchman Quentin Fillon Maillet ahead of Norway’s Sturla Holm Laegreid (1 penalty). In the penultimate race of the winter, Doll was only a good six seconds short of third place.
Meanwhile, superstar Bö secured his 18th win of the season and thus extended his winning record. The 29-year-old put on a special show at the shooting range, stopping before his last shot and jokingly asking the home crowd to be quiet. He then cleared the disc and started the final lap with a big grin, which he let run out to celebrate early. The success earned him an audience in the lodge of Norway’s King Harald. On the home straight, the five-time Oberhof World Champion even had enough time to bow to the fans with the Norwegian flag in hand. Bö won six of seven World Cup pursuers, as well as world championship gold at the Rennsteig.
The second best German was Philipp Nawrath (2) in 14th, followed by Roman Rees (2) in 20th place and Lucas Fratzscher (3) in 21st place Philipp Horn (6) as 52nd with very poor shooting performance. Justus Strelow was absent for a short time due to a blockage in his cervical spine. It was initially not clear whether the 26-year-old from Saxony would be able to take part in the final mass start on Sunday.
