The 29-year-old Norwegian already held the previous record, with sixteen individual successes during the 2018/2019 season, World Cup and Worlds combined.

On the hill of Holmenkollen where he arrived already assured of winning the big crystal globe for the fourth time in his career, Boe, author of a 9 out of 10 shooting, won in front of the Swede Martin Ponsiluoma, second at 23 sec 9/10th, and the German Benedikt Doll, third at 28 sec 9/10th, yet both impeccable behind the rifle.

It's as if Covid-19, which caused him to miss the Swedish stage in Oestersund last week, had no effect on him: his ski margin on his closest competitor of the day, in this case Doll, reached nearly fifty seconds on Thursday afternoon. A chasm.

Did he expect such a quiet return to business?

"No," Boe replies. I took time to rest and recover, but I hadn't tested myself physically before today's race, I didn't really know how my body was going to react.

Definitely, he was there. So much so that the youngest of the Boe brothers recorded his 17th individual victory of the season in 21 races (Worlds included), and his eighth in as many sprints.

Simon titled on Friday?

"It's my favorite format, but eight out of eight is crazy!" he smiles. It was a mental struggle: I really wanted to try to win one more, then there was Covid which made me back a little bit, even if it didn't show today. I felt good, I'm happy to be able to participate in the last races."

Germany's Benedikt Doll during the sprint in Oslo, the final stage of the Biathlon World Cup, Thursday 16 March © Terje Bendiksby / NTB / AFP

The five-time 2023 world champion is likely to further increase the victory tally, as there are still two races to go before closing the season, pursuit Saturday and mass start Sunday. We now know that he will start the first with a comfortable lead.

Best Frenchman of the day, Quentin Fillon Maillet, seventh at 56 sec 6/10th after a flawless shooting, will start with the hope of getting closer to the podium - on which he has climbed only once since the beginning of winter. He too is returning to competition in the Norwegian capital after being caught up by Covid-19.

"It's my first 10 out of 10 in a sprint (of the season), it's a bit late, but it's good to do it. On skis, I struggled, but I'm satisfied with my race: I didn't make any mistakes and I'm placed for the pursuit," QFM said.

"I don't know how the ski form will evolve. The objective will be the passages at the launch pad, he continues. 100% always pays."

Antonin Guigonnat, author of a 10 out of 10 also, ranked thirteenth at 1 min 15 sec 5/10th, and Fabien Claude 19th (1 fault), at 1 min 26 sec 5/10th.

It's time for the women's sprint on Friday (from 15:20). With, for Julia Simon, the challenge of getting even closer, or even seizing definitively, the big crystal globe for the first time in her career. At 26 years old and 18 years old after Sandrine Bailly, the last French woman to have achieved it.

© 2023 AFP