It is however the relief that Boe mimicked on the finish line, hand on the forehead.

Because a few minutes earlier, during the prone shot of his second stint, the Norwegian champion did not have enough of his three pickaxe balls to hit the five targets and had to perform a penalty round - shortened by half compared to the other races in this format compared by the Norwegian to a "Formula 1 race".

His speed on skis, even on a very short loop, and a final flawless and ultra-fast standing shot finally allowed him to win ahead of Austria's Lisa Theresa Hauser and David Komatz (6 picks), second at 13 sec 8/10e, and Italy by Lisa Vittozzi and Tommaso Giacomel (9 pickaxes and 2 penalty laps), third at 51 sec.

France, outgoing world champion of this non-Olympic event, had chosen to rest its executives and align Lou Jeanmonnot and Fabien Claude.

They placed fifth, 1 min 21 sec behind Norway, after a penalty lap and twelve picks.

Frenchman Fabien Claude (G) passes the baton to Lou Jeanmonnot during the single mixed relay at the Oberhof Worlds (Germany) on February 16, 2023 © CHRISTOF STACHE / AFP

Three lengths from Bjoerndalen

Boe is now crowned five-time world champion in just over a week spent in the Thuringian Forest, in sprint, pursuit, individual, mixed relay and single mixed relay.

He still has to play the men's relay on Saturday, of which the Norwegians are the big favorites, on Saturday and the mass start on Sunday.

Norwegian Johannes Boe (D) passes the baton to Marte Olsbu Roeiseland during the single mixed relay at the Biathlon Worlds in Oberhof (Germany) on February 16, 2023 © CHRISTOF STACHE / AFP

He has already joined Roeiseland (2020) and Germany's Laura Dahlmeier (2017) in the most world titles amassed in a single edition.

For the moment, and since two mixed relays have been contested at the Worlds, the Norwegian remains the only one to have won seven medals in seven races.

Maybe not for long.

“I was asked a lot of questions about the fact that I helped him break my record today (Thursday), smiled Roeiseland. I am delighted that he is in the ideal position for. If someone has to beat him, it's Johannes, he's extraordinary."

In the meantime, Boe remains undefeated in 2023 after thirteen races, both individually and in the relay, World Cup and Worlds combined, and his record now shows seventeen world titles, more than three units behind legend Ole Einar Bjoerndalen. .

© 2023 AFP