By Philip O’Connor
ZHANGJIAKOU, China (Reuters) – It was not always plain sailing for Norway’s Boe brothers growing up but on Saturday there was nothing but love between them as Johannes won gold and older brother Tarjei secured the bronze medal in the men’s 10km biathlon sprint at the Beijing Olympics.
The 28-year-old Johannes told reporters he was ecstatic that his brother had finally won an individual medal at the Olympics, adding that it was only after Tarjei, who is five years older, left home that the two became close.
“He was a pain in the butt until he moved out, then we saw less of each other, (but) we were friends when we first met,” Johannes said.
“The first years, I promise you — that’s why I can race so hard here because there’s been a lot of fighting with him.”
Asked what the individual medal meant to him, Tarjei, who won Olympic relay golds in 2010 and 2018, was unequivocal.
“Oh, everything. I would change everything in my life for this one. It’s the thing I was missing, you know. And I worked so hard for it, not only this year, but the last four years,” he said.
Much of the past four years has been spent in the shadow of Johannes.
“I saw it quite early, 10 years ago or maybe earlier, that he would be unbeatable in a few years, so my goal was to win as much as I could before he grew up… now he’s by far the best athlete in the world,” Tarjei said.
Johannes was equally gracious about how his big brother had inspired him and how glad he was to share the podium as Tarjei finally achieved his solo Olympic dream.
“I’m so proud. I’m more proud of him than myself; his bronze medal, it means gold for him,” the younger sibling said.
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor; editing by Clare Fallon)
