Johan-Olav Botn

Johan-Olav Smørdal Botn
Personal information
NationalityNorwegian
Born (1999-06-18) 18 June 1999
Stårheim, Norway
Height1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight69 kg (152 lb)
Sport
Professional information
SportBiathlon
ClubStårheim IL
World Cup debut5 January 2024
World Cup
Seasons2
Individual races15
All races17
Individual victories3
All victories4
Individual podiums6
All podiums8
Overall titles0
Discipline titles0
Medal record
Men's biathlon
Representing  Norway
European Championships
2024 Osrblie Mixed relay
2024 Osrblie 20 km individual
2024 Osrblie 10 km sprint

Johan-Olav Smørdal Botn (born 18 June 1999) is a Norwegian biathlete.[1] He made his Biathlon World Cup debut in 2024.[2]

Career

Botn made his international debut relatively late in November 2021, securing the 32nd position in the IBU Cup sprint in Idre. Following another appearance in January, he was subsequently excluded from the squad. During the winter of 2022/23, the Norwegian participated in the initial races in early December, achieving his first top-10 result with an 8th place in the individual competition. Due to Erlend Bjøntegaard's decision to waive his starting rights, Botn received the reserve starting position for the season finale in Canmore and secured podium finishes in both sprint races. His standout performance, however, occurred in the final race of the season, the pursuit competition, where he claimed his first IBU Cup victory with a lead of over a minute over Vebjørn Sørum. At the Norwegian Championships, Botn, alongside Håvard Bogetveit, Simon Kirkeeide, and Johannes Thingnes Bø, won the bronze medal in the relay event for Sogn og Fjordane. For the 2023/2024 season, he was selected for the B-national team for the first time.[3][4] At the 2024 European Biathlon Championship, he won one gold and two silver medals.[5]

Biathlon results

All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union.

World Cup

 Season   Age  Overall Individual Sprint Pursuit Mass Start
Races Points Position Races Points Position Races Points Position Races Points Position Races Points Position
2023–24 24 7/25 231 29th 0/4 3/8 210 21st 3/8 84 25th 1/5 27 31st
2025–26 26 7/21 510 1st 1/3 90 1st 3/7 200 1st 3/7 220 1st

Individual podiums

  • 3 victories – (1 Sp, 1 Ind, 1 Pu)
  • 6 podiums
No. Season Date Location Discipline Level Place
1 2023–24 9 March 2024 Soldier Hollow 10 km Sprint World Cup 3rd
2 2025–26 3 December 2025 Östersund 20 km Individual World Cup 1st
3 6 December 2025 Östersund 10 km Sprint World Cup 1st
4 7 December 2025 Östersund 12.5 km Pursuit World Cup 3rd
5 13 December 2025 Hochfilzen 12.5 km Pursuit World Cup 3rd
6 20 December 2025 AnnecyLe Grand-Bornand 12.5 km Pursuit World Cup 1st

Team podiums

  • 1 victories – (1 Relay)
  • 2 podiums
No. Season Date Location Level Race Placement Teammates
1 2025–26 30 November 2025 Östersund World Cup Mixed Relay 3rd Strømsheim, Botn, Knotten, Tandrevold
2 14 December 2025 Hochfilzen World Cup Relay 1st Dale-Skjevdal, Botn, Lægreid, Christiansen

IBU Cup

 Season   Age  Overall Individual Super Sprint Sprint Pursuit Mass Start
Races Points Position Races Points Position Races Points Position Races Points Position Races Points Position Races Points Position
2021–22 22 3/22 11 143rd 1/3 2 79th 0/2 2/12 9 131st 0/3 0/2
2022–23 23 7/22 355 14th 1/3 34 26th 1/2 28 19th 3/11 163 17th 1/4 90 13rd 1/2 40 13rd
2023–24 24 15/23 1135 2nd 2/4 165 4th n/h n/h n/h 8/11 660 1st 3/5 210 4th 2/3 100 6th
2024–25 25 18/24 1144 3rd 3/4 180 3rd n/h n/h n/h 8/11 468 4th 4/6 281 3rd 3/3 215 1st

Individual podiums

  • 11 victories – (1 Ind, 5 Sp, 4 Pu, 1 MS)
  • 26 podiums
No. Season Date Location Level Race Place
1 2022–23 25 February 2023 Canmore IBU Cup Sprint 3rd
2 1 March 2023 Canmore IBU Cup Sprint 2nd
3 3 March 2023 Canmore IBU Cup Pursuit 1st
4 2023–24 30 November 2023 Kontiolahti IBU Cup Individual 1st
5 2 December 2023 Kontiolahti IBU Cup Sprint 1st
6 8 December 2023 Idre Fjäll IBU Cup Sprint 1st
7 9 December 2023 Idre Fjäll IBU Cup Sprint 2nd
8 10 December 2023 Idre Fjäll IBU Cup Pursuit 1st
9 13 December 2023 Sjusjøen IBU Cup Sprint 2nd
10 15 December 2023 Sjusjøen IBU Cup Pursuit 1st
11 16 December 2023 Sjusjøen IBU Cup Mass Start 60 3rd
12 10 January 2024 Ridnaun-Val Ridanna IBU Cup Sprint 1st
13 24 January 2024 Brezno-Osrblie European Championships Individual 2nd
14 26 January 2024 Brezno-Osrblie European Championships Sprint 2nd
15 1 February 2024 Arber IBU Cup Sprint 2nd
16 3 February 2024 Arber IBU Cup Sprint 1st
17 2024–25 30 November 2024 Idre Fjäll IBU Cup Sprint 2nd
18 1 December 2024 Idre Fjäll IBU Cup Pursuit 2nd
19 4 December 2024 Geilo IBU Cup Individual 2nd
20 6 December 2024 Geilo IBU Cup Sprint 2nd
21 7 December 2024 Geilo IBU Cup Pursuit 2nd
22 19 December 2024 Obertilliach IBU Cup Sprint 2nd
23 21 December 2024 Obertilliach IBU Cup Mass Start 60 1st
24 8 March 2025 Otepää IBU Cup Pursuit 1st
25 9 March 2025 Otepää IBU Cup Mass Start 60 2nd
26 14 March 2025 Otepää IBU Cup Sprint 1st

References

  1. ^ "Athlete Statistics – real biathlon". realbiathlon.com.
  2. ^ "Sjokkerer Bjørndalen: - Detaljene er hemmelige". TV 2 (in Norwegian Bokmål). 20 December 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Le phénomène Johan Olav Botn - Sports Infos - Ski - Biathlon". ski-nordique.net (in French). 10 December 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  4. ^ https://biathlonlive.com/coupe-du-monde/johan-olav-botn-monter-sur-le-podium/
  5. ^ NRK (26 January 2024). "EM-sølv til Botn tross to bomskudd på sprinten". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 30 January 2024.