Boe wins mass start biathlon, gives Norway record 15th gold

Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Norwegian Johannes Thingnes Boe overcame several target misses with superb skiing to claim gold in the men's biathlon 15-kilometer mass start event at the 2022 Winter Games on Friday in Zhangjiakou, China.

The victory gave Norway its 15th Olympic gold medal of 2022, the most ever won by a country at a single Winter Games.

Boe clocked a first-place time of 38:14.4 in the combined rifle shooting and cross-country skiing event at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Center. He was 40.3 seconds better than second place Martin Ponsiluoma of Sweden.

Norway's Vetle Sjastad Christiansen claimed bronze out of the 30-man race. France's Quentin Fillon Maillet and Italy's Dominik Windisch also placed in the Top 5.

Boe navigated the 3-kilometer, snow-packed course with expertise to find the shooting range. He missed several targets, but overcame the inaccuracy with his skiing skills.

Maillet, who was in search of his sixth medal at the 2022 Winter Games, missed three targets in the final shooting stage to miss the podium.

The victory gave Boe his fourth gold medal in Beijing and fifth overall of the 2022 Winter Games. He owns eight total Olympic medals in biathlon events. Boe, 28, won gold in the 10-kilometer sprint, 4x7.5-kilometer relay and mixed relay and bronze in the 20-kilometer individual at the 2022 Winter Games.

He won gold in the 20-kilometer individual and silver medals in the 4x7.5-kilometer relay and mixed relay at the 2018 Winter Games.

The 15-kilometer mass start was the final biathlon event at the 2022 Winter Games.