On his first appearance at the 2016 IBU World Championships, Ole Einar Bjørndalen secures a medal. On home turf in Holmenkollen (NOR). These championships have been his main focus for the entire season, not to mention his entire career, which to date counts 24 World Cup seasons. And in his first race, the 10km sprint, he delivers.
On Sunday, he helped himself to another silver medal in the men’s 12.5km pursuit.
“That was fun. I had to at least match my age in medals before I consider myself done, but this was the most I could squeeze out of myself today,” the 42-year-old said to Norwegian broadcaster NRK after the race.
Halfway through the championships, six of the eleven events are completed. The20km normal competition, the women’s 4x6km relay, the men’s 4×7.5km relay and the 12.5km/15km mass starts still remain before the championships conclude in Holmenkollen on Sunday, March 13. The King returns to the action on Thursday, with the men’s 20km normal competition.
However, Bjørndalens medal was only the third this week: Anaïs Bescond helped France to gold in the opening event, the mixed sprint, where Marte Olsbu skied the first leg for Norway’s bronze medal team.