"Go the Boes!"

The Boes against the Blues. The "match" between the Norwegian brothers and the French Patrol, led for many years by Martin Fourcade, has been an ongoing source of fascination for biathlon fans. Tarjei and his younger brother Johannes even made a pun and hashtag about it: #allezlesboe! A sporting and media rivalry that delights the eldest sibling, who enjoys teasing others and is liked by everyone.

Youngest ever world cup winner

It's rare to come across Tarjei Boe without his broad smile. On the tour, the Julbo biathlete's good sense of humor is infectious. Simply happy to practice his sport and to make a living from his passion, the Norwegian, a star in his own country, is never short of a good joke at a post-race press conference. But behind his smiling eyes lies a formidable competitor.

Crowned 2006 junior world champion in the individual event, Tarjei made his senior world cup debut in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, in 2009. The ultimate accolade came quickly, in fact very quickly. After a first sprint victory in late 2010 in Hochfilzen in the Austrian Tyrol, and an Olympic relay title in Vancouver in the same year, he was crowned world champion in the individual and won the big crystal globe in 2011! Only 23 years old at the time – a record for such a young age – he confirmed his position as the best biathlete on the planet.

Beijing 2022 in the crosshairs

After crushing the competition, Tarjei Boe, who grew up quietly following in the skis of king Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, had to learn to live in the shadow of Martin Fourcade... and of his brother Johannes, the new leader of the Norwegian gang. This duel between the two brothers was completely without jealousy or animosity, quite the opposite in fact. They developed an intense understanding and a deep mutual respect that drew them to the top. Proud of his younger brother's career, Tarjei gives him valuable advice, uses the same skis as him and the same shooting trainer: Siegfried Mazet... the former French coach!

Today, the mass start world champion (2013 in Nove Mesto) thrives in the position of outsider. He likes to surprise when least expected, as in the Östersund Worlds in 2019, where he won his eighth individual medal. And he may well surprise us again at the Beijing Olympics in 2022, where he can already see himself...