Expectations for Johan-Olav Botn have never been higher. He feels less pressure than ever and opens up about the aftermath of last season.

A year ago, Johan-Olav Botn had to almost prove his right to compete in the World Cup. Now, he is an Olympic Champion and one of Norway’s biggest medal hopes for the World Championships in Otepää.

After a season filled with World Cup victories, Olympic gold, illness, and a brutal personal tragedy, the 27-year-old from Stårheim, Norway, could have felt immense pressure. Instead, he feels the opposite.

This is despite July being marked by illness, with less than three months until the season starts.

“Last year, I had to prove quite a bit just to be allowed to compete in the World Cup at all. So, performing right from the start when I got the chance was an incredible feeling of flow that I hope to experience again,” says Botn. 

Looking back, Botn still struggles to fully understand what happened.

From rookie to favorite

After three victories and several weeks in the yellow bib before Christmas, Botn emerged as one of the biggest favorites for the Olympics. His rocket start in the World Cup also shifted his main goal for the entire season.

“Before the season, I was all in on performing my best at the Olympics. That had been my big goal for the last four years. However, when the season started so well, with three World Cup victories and after having raced quite a few events in the yellow bib, my focus began to shift towards the overall victory,” says Botn.

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From heaven to hell

But the flow did not last. For Botn, who found his best friend Sivert Bakken dead in his hotel room on Christmas Eve, it became incredibly heavy.

He describes the time afterward as a “shock state where you just had to take it day by day and try to get through the days”.

Then, when Botn was set to return to the World Cup in January, he fell ill. He missed both of the first two rounds after the New Year, losing the yellow bib and shifting his focus back to optimizing for the Olympics.

“I had a long way back to get in shape, and it didn’t help that I got Norovirus during the pre-camp before the Olympics as well,” he says.

“I don’t understand why or how”

Despite the challenging buildup, Botn returned from the Olympics with individual gold in the opening event and silver in the relay. With his compromised form, Botn felt he had given everything he could, both physically and mentally.

“Personally, I don’t really understand why or how I got into such good shape as I did,” says Botn. 

“I was actually quite empty for the rest of the championships,” he adds.

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The recoil

The rest of the season exceeded all expectations given the circumstances.

Botn finished in the top six in all races except two, won the last World Cup race of the season in Holmenkollen, and secured third place in the overall World Cup standings, earning a permanent spot on the elite national team.

Then it hit him.

“There was a recoil after the season. I walked around like a zombie throughout April,” says Botn.

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Never felt less pressure

The 27-year-old explains that he needed the time in the off-season to land. During that time, something changed.

As he enters the autumn training, Botn describes a new freedom, with more room to relax and focus on improving.

“When you are on the Norwegian junior team, the opportunity to compete in the World Cup is so close, while the competition from below is so fierce that if you make one mistake, you end up right back in the Norwegian Cup,” says Botn. 

“Right now, I feel that I have a bit more margin before I end up there. That gives me a bit more freedom to relax and just focus on becoming as good as possible, without worrying that every mistake I make could send me straight back to the Norwegian Cup.”

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Little impact from coaching changes

However, the Norwegian federation’s extensive changes in the coaching staff have not led to major upheavals in Botn’s daily life. He has brought Anders Øverby up to the elite team, while Patrick Oberegger is new to the setup.

“I actually feel like I’ve gotten ‘the best of both worlds’,” says Botn.

He also believes that the new coaching philosophy could lead to more aggressive biathlon.

“A slightly less ‘safe’ approach. I hope it can contribute to more entertaining biathlon in the upcoming season!”

Aiming for the World Championships

For the 27-year-old from Stårheim, the World Championships in Otepää in February is the main focus in his first season on the elite national team. This time, he wants to arrive with a completely different foundation than for the Olympics.

July was indeed marked by illness, but now he hopes that is behind him.

“This season, I hope to have a good buildup to a championship, without illness, so I can feel that I arrive fully prepared and can execute as planned,” says Johan-Olav Botn. 

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