The death of Laura Dahlmeier moved the entire biathlon world last year. Now, the Norwegian Johannes Thingnes Bö also finds emotional words about it.
Johannes Thingnes Bö has revealed why he admired Laura Dahlmeier, who passed away in the summer. “She was a role model for so many. What particularly distinguished her was that she was strong in sports, but also had a life and a perspective outside of biathlon. I share this quality with Laura,” said the Norwegian in an interview with Welt and Sport Bild .
What unites them both? “We both had the same vision of life outside of sports, combined with the ambition to be as successful as possible in biathlon,” Bö replied to a corresponding question: “Laura retired at 25 because she wanted to experience more and sought adventure. Although I didn’t stop until I was 31, I essentially did it for the same reasons. Because I knew: there’s more to life than just the next training session or the next title.”
Many athletes would focus strongly on the next goal and hardly allow themselves to enjoy life alongside being an athlete, described the 32-year-old. “We were the same age, achieved the same results for many years. We followed each other’s steps. Therefore, I was very sad. Laura is a legend and will remain so forever,” Bö continued. The long-standing biathlon dominator also spoke about a special sporting strength of Dahlmeier.
Biathlon: Bö Raves About Dahlmeier’s Standing Shooting
In standing shooting, the German, who won a total of 15 World Championship medals, including seven gold, was outstanding. “She showed such mental strength that made it look so easy. Everything hit the target every time,” raved Bö, who once again emphasized that Dahlmeier’s death was “very sad”: “Especially for her family, also for the biathlon family and the sports world.”
Dahlmeier tragically died on July 28, 2025, at the age of 31, during a mountaineering tour on the 6,096-meter-high Laila Peak in the Karakoram Mountains in Pakistan.