Johan-Olav Smørdal Botn won his second Norwegian championship gold in two days at Lygna on Sunday, 20 September 2026. Having taken Saturday's sprint, he also won Sunday's race. In the women's competition, Maren Hjelmeset Kirkeeide likewise added a second title.
Botn edges Frey in the sprint
Botn and Isak Leknes Frey were out in front together as the race neared its end. Botn beat Frey by a narrow margin in the final sprint, even though Frey had been the better shot. Frey missed three targets and Botn missed five. As VG put it, Botn was strong on the course as usual.
Speaking on VGTV's broadcast, the winner said he was very happy with how things stood:
"Formen er dritbra, så jeg er ekstremt fornøyd med status akkurat nå."
Roughly translated, Botn said his form was really good and that he was extremely pleased with where he was right now.
Ole Tafjord Suhrke took bronze. Two other well-known names finished further back:
- Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen: 9th, five misses
- Sturla Holm Lægreid: 27th, seven misses
Kirkeeide 18 seconds clear of Ytterhus
Maren Hjelmeset Kirkeeide won the women's race with three misses. Guro Ytterhus also missed three times and finished 18 seconds behind her. Estonia's Regina Ermits came third and Emilie Ågheim Kalkenberg was fourth with five misses. Like Botn, Kirkeeide had already won gold in Saturday's sprint.
BiathlonFrance biathlon: Seven men fight for five World Cup spots in GeiloHedegart 13th after eight misses
Einar Hedegart finished 13th on Sunday with eight misses. He had been very disappointed after Saturday's sprint, in which he missed all five shots in the standing stage. He let his frustration out in the interview zone, telling VG:
"Det er sånn hver gang vi konkurrerer. Det er helt håpløst. Det er sykt frustrerende ikke å få vist litt av det jeg får til på trening. Når det skjer gang på gang i konkurranse, er det ikke tilfeldig. Det er åpenbart noe alvorlig feil."
In essence, Hedegart said it happens every time they race and that it is completely hopeless. He called it incredibly frustrating not to show some of what he manages in training. If it keeps happening in competition, he said, it is not a coincidence, and something is clearly seriously wrong.
Sunday's eight misses left Hedegart twelve places behind Botn, who won both titles at Lygna.
