Why one of the greatest biathletes ever, Johannes Thingnes Boe, is retiring at just 31, along with star brother Tarjei

Biathlon will say goodbye to two true legends of the sport this weekend as Johannes Thingnes Boe and older brother Tarjei race for the final time, saying their farewells in front of their home fans in Oslo. We look at why the brothers made this decision, what it means in the grand scheme of things, and just why it is so surprising - plus how you can watch their final races.

The 2024/25 biathlon season wraps up this weekend in Oslo, and it will be an emotional one for everyone involved.

This is because legendary biathlete Johannes Thingnes Boe, considered one of the greatest to ever do it, will be hanging up his skis and rifle at the end of the weekend.

And it is not only Johannes who is stepping away from the sport, his older brother Tarjei has also announced his retirement, having previously said he never wanted to race without his younger sibling on the tour.

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You can watch every moment of the great farewell live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Why is Johannes retiring now?

At 31, the younger Boe brother is stepping away surprisingly early from a sport that he dominates, but in his retirement announcement it was clear that family was at the front of his mind.

He said: "It has been amazing, but also challenging. Now, I feel that the time has come to prioritise the family."

Ever since the birth of his first child, Johannes has spoken openly about how much he loves being a father and how much it pains him to be away from his children when he is having to train and compete.

What about Tarjei?

Tarjei did not specifically confirm Johannes’ retirement when he announced his own a week later, saying that he felt the time was right.

He had debated even coming back for the 2024/25 season, so knew he couldn’t go on for another.

"It is because this will be my last season, so then it was difficult to stop the tears," he said.

"I wanted to wait for the right moment to tell it, and when I won here for the first time, with my wife here, she came yesterday, in one of the best places for biathlon, it felt like the right moment to say it.

"I felt it [was the right time]. I was in doubt last season. I thought it was my last one, but then I felt this feeling that I wanted to do a little more.

"I felt I had some more victories left that I wanted to show. But when the season started, I felt that this was the last training period in my life.

"Now I want to race, and it is really tough to prepare for the Olympics. It takes a lot of energy to do it, and I feel like this is the right time."

'Difficult to stop the tears' - Tarjei Boe says it is 'the right time' to announce retirement

Video credit: TNT Sports

Was this surprising?

This is stunning for two reasons. One, because of Johannes’ age - to retire at 31 is surprisingly early even in a sport as gruelling as biathlon.

In many ways, it is similar to when alpine skiing legend Marcel Hirscher stepped away from the sport at the age of 30 despite being the dominant force. Hirscher would famously return earlier this season in a shock comeback.

Primarily, though, it is surprising because we are just a year away from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

Between them, the brothers won five individual medals at the 2022 Games, including two golds for Johannes, plus they both featured in the men’s relay and the mixed relay, helping Norway to gold in both events.

It had long been thought that the two brothers would feature at the Games and then walk away from the sport.

Highlights: Another record falls as Boe claims 12th individual world title in pursuit

Video credit: TNT Sports

Why does this matter?

By his own admission, Tarjei might have faced a fight to make the team, but Johannes would have been the leader of the group - especially with the women’s team having lost both Marte Olsbu Roeiseland and Tiril Eckhoff since Beijing.

They still have overall leader Sturla Holm Laegreid to call upon on the men’s side and Norway will never be short of options, but losing Johannes is a titanic blow and throws the men’s medal race wide open for next year.

There is also the fact that Norway men’s coach Siegfried Mazet has made no secret of the fact that one of the primary reasons he took the job was that he wanted to work with the two brothers.

There have been no indications that Mazet will step away before 2026, but afterwards? That’s a totally different story.

Do they have anything to fight for this weekend?

Technically yes, realistically probably not. Tarjei is only fighting for one more win, but Johannes can fight Laegreid for the Overall title as he comes into the weekend 104 points behind his compatriot.

However, the caveat here is that Johannes missed a large chunk of last weekend’s racing at Nove Mesto na Morave because of an illness.

At the time of writing, he is expected to be fit enough to race, but whether or not he can compete at the level required to win the Overall remains to be seen.

And even then it might be taken out of his hands. Even if Johannes wins all three races this weekend, which he needs to do, then he still needs Laegreid to finish off the podium in each race as well. So it looks unlikely.

Highlights: Thingnes Boe wins dramatic men’s pursuit to double up in Hochfilzen

Video credit: TNT Sports

How can I watch the farewell?

You can watch the entire weekend of biathlon live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

The schedule is as follows.

• Friday, March 21 - Men's Sprint 11:30 GMT, Women's Sprint 14:20 GMT
• Saturday, March 22 - Men's Pursuit 11:45 GMT, Women's Pursuit 13:50 GMT
• Sunday, March 23 - Women's Mass Start 11:15 GMT, Men's Mass Start 13:40 GMT

Is there anything else I need to know?

Aside from the fact that this final race weekend is happening in the Boe brothers' home of Norway (so expect an amazing crowd), it is also worth highlighting the overall race in the women’s tour.

Franziska Preuss currently leads Lou Jeanmonnot by just 20 points as both women will look for their first title. You won’t want to miss a minute as every shot, and every second on track, will be crucial.

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Watch the Biathlon World Cup live on TNT Sports and discovery+

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