The biathlon world champion is the newest member of the Richard Mille family. His passion for skiing has been with him since he was a boy, ever since he scoured the Norwegian peaks with his brother Tarjei, also a top biathlete. Johannes Thingnes Bø's dream has always been to become an Olympic biathlon champion. Little did he know that both he and his brother would one day climb the world podiums. Johannes realised his dream in 2018, at the age of 25 in PyeongChang, where he collected an impressive three medals, including his first individual gold after a near flawless performance in the 20km. Almost two years after that historic result, Johannes continues to go from strength to strength. The biathlete expressed his peak performance, achieving a total of five Crystal Globes with 16 individual victories in the World Cup. The start of the 2019/2020 World Cup has been very promising for the Norwegian champion, who has in fact already won one race in Phase One, 3 races in Phase Two and 2 races in Phase Three in December. Biathlon is a unique sport in that it brings into play two very different disciplines: cross-country skiing and shooting with a rifle. Both require great concentration. High-precision targeting within a fraction of a second must be combined with long-range endurance skills. Penalties for missing the target can erase the points gained during the slalom. "At this point, the average pulse of a race is 180 bpm. Besides having to reach a certain speed on skis, athletes need the ability to calm down and isolate themselves from the outside world while trying to hit five small targets from a distance of 50 metres. Accuracy, timing and precision are crucial. Being too fast or too slow on the trigger, even for a hundredth of a second, can make the difference between success and failure'. The extreme focus on the absolute limits of human time combines perfectly with the Richard Mille brand. "Development and innovation are key factors in reaching the highest possible level, both in sport and product," says Johannes. As a new member of the Richard Mille family, he is hitting the slopes with an extra-flat RM 67-02 Automatic created especially for him. "The RM 67-02 fits so well on the wrist that it almost feels like a second skin. During competitions, we athletes can take off our rifles as many as four times and this calls for a watch that is adaptable to this and does not interfere with practice. Light, athletic and sporty with the Norwegian colours, I know that this watch on my wrist will give me strength and motivation".
