Fastest men on the biathlon tracks – Sweden challenges Norway’s dominance

biathlon
While Norway’s Johannes Thingnes Bø remained the benchmark for raw skiing speed, Sweden’s Martin Ponsiluoma and Sebastian Samuelsson have pushed their way into the top three. Check out the fastest male biathletes in the World.

Ponsiluoma was just fractions of a second behind Bø in the season average, confirming his consistency across diverse courses and conditions. Samuelsson, a versatile all-rounder, also maintained impressive speed throughout the winter.

You have to look a bit further down the list to find the first Norwegian beyond Bø: Sturla Holm Lægreid sits tied for sixth (seventh) place with France’s Eric Perrot, followed by Johannes Dale-Skjevdal in eighth (ninth). France, however, is the most represented nation overall, with four athletes among the top ten — a testament to the depth of the French men’s team.

These are the ten fastest men’s biathlon athletes on the tracks, based on results from the 2024/2025 World Cup. The ranking shows the percentage deviation from the average of all World Cup athletes.

Top 10 fastest men on the tracks – IBU World Cup 2024/2025

  1. Johannes Thingnes Bø, Norway, -5.2
  2. Martin Ponsiluoma, Sweden, -5.0
  3. Quentin Fillon Maillet, France, -4.5
  4. Sebastian Samuelsson, Sweden, -4.4
  5. Jeremy Finello, Switzerland, -4.1
  6. Tommaso Giacomel, Italy, -4.0
  7. Sturla Holm Lægreid, Norway, -3.7
  8. Eric Perrot, France, -3.7
  9. Johannes Dale-Skjevdal, Norway, -3.6
  10. Fabien Claude, France, -3.4
  11. Emilien Jacquelin, France, -3.4

Source: IBU Datacenter

The 2025/2026 Biathlon World Cup kicks off in Östersund on November 29. The season includes eight regular World Cup rounds, plus the Winter Olympics in Italy.

Also Read – Biathlon World Cup: Calendar for the 2025/2026 winter season

Norway dominates the IBU Cup

While Sweden and France shine at the World Cup level, the Norwegian men dominate the IBU Cup standings. Three of the four fastest skiers come from Norway, and seven Norwegians make the top ten overall. Yet, France’s Emilien Claude stands out — the younger of the Claude brothers was in a class of his own last season, topping the list with a remarkable -10.7 deviation.

These are the ten fastest men biathletes on course, based on results from the 2024/2025 IBU Cup season. The ranking is expressed as a percentage deviation from the average of all IBU Cup athletes.

Top 10 fastest men on the tracks – IBU Cup 2024/2025

  1. Emilien Claude, France, -10.7
  2. Martin Uldal, Norway, -9.0
  3. Johan-Olav Botn, Norway, -8.9
  4. Johannes Dale-Skjevdal, Norway, -8.8
  5. Vladimir Iliev, Bulgaria, -8.6
  6. Antonin Guigonnat, France, -8.6
  7. Ole Tafjord Suhrke, Norway, -8.4
  8. Sverre Dahlen Aspenes, Norway, -8.3
  9. Simon Kaiser, Germany, -7.6
  10. Sivert Gerhardsen, Norway, -7.5

Source: IBU Datacenter

The 2025/2026 IBU Cup season will start in Hochfilzen, Austria, in December.

Norway dominated the 2024/2025 IBU Cup. Here from Geilo in December last year: Johan-Olav Botn (left), Martin Uldal, and Sverre Dahlen Aspenes. Photo: Nordnes/NordicFocus

The 2025/2026 IBU Cup season starts in Obertilliach, Austria, in early December and concludes in Lake Placid, USA, in March.

Also Read – Biathlon IBU Cup: Calendar for the 2025/2026 winter season

Are you interested in biathlon? Click HERE and read more about it.

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