Kicking off the fun at the Norwegian summer biathlon championships in Lillehammer, Johan-Olav Botn snags gold in the sprint on Saturday, winning the race by nearly ten seconds to fellow Madshus racer Vebjørn Sørum.
Also on Saturday, Ragnhild Femsteinevik scores her first medal for the weekend with a solid second place in the women's sprint.
Then on Sunday, Botn literally demolishes his competitors in the mass start. Despite missing twice at the range, the 25-year-old finishes more than 40 seconds ahead of the next racer and takes home his second national championship title in less than 24 hours.
Sørum hauls into third place and his second medal for the weekend.
Among the women, Femsteinevik secures her second silver medal in two days.
For Botn, who posted his first World Cup podium in March, the two victories at the summer national championships provide a boost of confidence heading into the final weeks of preparation for the upcoming season.
“Mostly, this just shows that I’m right where I should be at this time of the year. And it feels good get a confirmation that the level I have displayed at practice is as good as we thought it was,” Botn says.
The next competitions will be the national season opener at Sjusjøen in the middle of November.
Related coverage: My first World Cup podium - and boy did I have to earn it!
Photo by: Nordic Focus