The Biathlon World Championships ends today in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, with the mass start events for women and men. Discover how the race works and who the top contenders for gold are!

The last World Championships race in Lenzerheide is also the last chance for “the King of biathlon.” Johannes Thingnes Bø will do his last race for medals at this level. And he is the reigning champion and must be the favorite again. But can he beat the French athletes?

ABOUT THE 15KM MASS START FOR MEN

In the mass start, 30 athletes start together and compete over 15km. There are four shooting stops, the first two in the prone position and the last two in standing. You need to do a penalty loop for each missed target, which normally takes 20-25 seconds extra.

The first to cross the finish line is the winner of the race. In some mass starts, there are 60 athletes; here, they go to different loops before the first shooting. This format has not yet been introduced to the World Championships.

Mass start races are often named “The Formula-1 of biathlon.” This is because of the tight fights between the athletes, the nervous shooting with a full range of athletes, and the way it can change in the leaderboard all the way through the competition.

In these races, you need to shoot quickly, and therefore, a lot of the athletes need to take a bigger risk than in an individual race or also a sprint. A penalty loop means normally that you lose contact with the leaders and need to chase behind.

Therefore, it’s important to hit all five targets on the first shooting to be up there and stay with the leading group. But the most difficult is normally the last standing shooting when everybody knows it is about to get decided.

FORMER WORLD CHAMPIONS

• 1999    Sven Fischer, GER
• 2000    Raphael Poiree, FRA
• 2001    Raphael Poiree, FRA
• 2002    Raphael Poiree, FRA
• 2003    Ole Einar Bjørndalen, NOR
• 2004    Raphael Poiree, FRA
• 2005    Ole Einar Bjørndalen, NOR
• 2007    Michael Greis, GER
• 2008    Emil Hegle Svendsen, NOR
• 2009    Dominik Landertinger, AUT
• 2011    Emil Hegle Svendsen, NOR
• 2012    Martin Fourcade, FRA
• 2013    Tarjei Bø, NOR
• 2015    Jakov Fak, SLO
• 2016    Johannes Thingnes Bø, NOR
• 2017    Simon Schempp, GER
• 2019    Dominik Windisch, ITA
• 2020    Johannes Thingnes Bø, NOR
• 2021    Sturla Holm Lægreid, NOR
• 2023    Sebastian Samuelsson, SWE
• 2024    Johannes Thingnes Bø, NOR

FAVORITES

Johannes Thingnes Bø, NOR

The last dance at the Worlds for the big man. He doesn’t have anything to prove with individual gold medals already in Lenzerheide. But Thingnes Bø wants to win also the last one, and he found his skiing speed again during the championships.

Sturla Holm Lægreid, NOR

He is normally not going away from the World Championships without an individual medal. Terrible skis in the individual race and a few unusual mistakes on the range probably only make him extra motivated.

Eric Perrot, FRA

What a championship for the young French athlete. He was the quickest on the skis when he won the individual race. Perrot has hit top form at exactly the right moment, and he is also a very fast and secure shooter. Medal again?

OUTSIDERS

Emilien Jacquelin, FRA

Once again, it can be everything from Jacquelin. On a good day, he can beat anyone. But his results are like a rollercoaster. Only one of several French athletes with a chance of gold here.

Sebastian Samuelsson, SWE

“Sebbe” showed in the World’s in Oberhof that he can turn things around quickly. He needs to improve his shooting, and he has lost a sprint twice in Lenzerheide, both to Bø and Hartweg. The Swedes had bad skis in the single mixed relay.

Tarjei Bø, NOR

The last dance also for the bigger of the Bø-brothers. Tarjei has won on the World Cup this Winter and he is never to be written off if he has a perfect day. The minuses are the speed in the track and the last standing shooting.

Quentin Fillon Maillet, FRA

Another who has hit top form just for the championships. He was only 3 seconds slower than Perrot in the skiing time at the 20km. And when Fillon Maillet hits the targets, he has the speed to win. A main contender for top honor here.

Tommaso Giacomel, ITA

The Italian is satisfied with a medal already, but this is a format that suits him well. He is quick on the range and his skiing speed is good enough to follow the others. Also got a confidence boost in Antholz when he showed what he is capable of.

START LIST

The complete start list can be found HERE

Also Read – Biathlon World Championships 2025: Complete program for Lenzerheide

FACTS Lenzerheide Biathlon World Championships Season 2024/2025

• When: Wednesday, February 12 to Sunday, February 23, 2025 
• Who: Elite national biathletes – women and men
• Where: Lenzerheide, Switzerland
• What: IBU World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland

PROGRAM

Wednesday, February 12: Mixed Relay (W+M) (More details can be found HERE)

• 14:30 CET: Mixed Relay, Women+Men

Friday, February 14: 7.5km Sprint W (More details can be found HERE)

• 15:05 CET: 7.5km Sprint, Women

Saturday, February 15: 10km Sprint M (More details can be found HERE)

• 15:05 CET: 10km Sprint, Men

Sunday, February 16: 10km Pursuit W and 12.5km Pursuit M (More details can be found HERE)

• 12:05 CET: 10km Pursuit, Women
• 15:05 CET: 12.5km Pursuit, Men

Tuesday, February 18: 15km Individual W (More details can be found HERE)

• 15:05 CET: 15km Individual, Women

Wednesday, February 19: 20km Individual M (More details can be found HERE)

• 15:05 CET: 20km Individual, Men

Thursday, February 20: Single Mixed Relay (W+M) (More details can be found HERE)

• 16:05 CET: Single Mixed Relay, Woman+Man

Saturday, February 22: 4x6km Relay W and 4×7.5km Relay M (More details can be found HERE)

• 12:05 CET: 4x6km Relay, Women
• 15:05 CET: 4×7.5km Relay, Men

Sunday, February 23: 12.5km Mass Start W and 15km Mass Start M (More details can be found HERE)

• 13:45 CET: 12.5km Mass Start, Women
• 16:05 CET: 15km Mass Start, Men

After the World Championships in Lenzerheide (Switzerland), the biathlon World Cup heads to Nove Mesto Na Morave (Czech Republic) and Pokljuka (Slovenia). Then, the 2024/2025 World Cup season ends in Oslo (Norway).

Also Read: Biathlon World Cup and World Championships: Calendar for the 2024/2025 winter season

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