Mats Øverby (born 13 May 2000) is a Norwegian biathlete.[1] He won the overall IBU Cup title in the 2023–24 season.

Mats Øverby
Personal information
NationalityNorwegian
Born (2000-05-13) 13 May 2000 (age 24)
Drammen, Norway
Sport
CountryNorway
SportBiathlon
Medal record
Men's biathlon
Representing  Norway
Junior World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2021 Obertilliach 4 × 7.5 km relay
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Soldier Hollow 4 × 7.5 km relay

Career

edit

Mats Øverby had his first international appearances at the 2021 Junior World Championships in Obertilliach, Austria, where he narrowly missed a medal in the individual event, finishing fourth, and won silver in the relay event with Simen Kvarme, Fredrik Grusd, and Jørgen Sæter. The following year, he participated in the Junior World Championships in Soldier Hollow, Utah, and once again secured a medal with the relay team. Taking advantage of the absence of most top athletes at the Norwegian Championships, Øverby won bronze in the sprint and with the relay team. He was even more successful at the Junior Championships, winning titles with the team and in the mass start, earning him a spot in the B National Team for the following season.

In his debut in the IBU Cup, the Norwegian immediately showcased his skills, finishing among the top five in all four races he participated in. In Ridnaun, he secured his first title in the pursuit event, and in Osrblie, along with two more podium finishes, he followed up with another victory in the single mixed relay.[2] At this point, he was in second place in the overall standings behind Endre Strømsheim. However, his first European Championships did not go as planned, and at the season finale in Canmore, he started with diminished strength due to a bout of coronavirus and fell to fifth place in the IBU Cup standings after relatively weak results.[3][4]

Biathlon results

edit

All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union.

Youth and Junior World Championships

edit

2 medals (1 silver, 1 bronze)

Year Age Individual Sprint Pursuit Relay
  2021 Obertilliach 20 4th 13th 16th Silver
  2022 Soldier Hollow 21 17th 6th 5th Bronze

References

edit
  1. ^ "Athlete Statistics - real biathlon". www.realbiathlon.com.
  2. ^ "Mats Øverby tok sin første seier i IBU-cupen". Langrenn. December 17, 2022.
  3. ^ Nilsen, Jostein (January 26, 2023). "(+) Mats (22) reiser Europa rundt og gjør det han elsker mest: – Det er et drømmeliv". Drammens Tidende.
  4. ^ Strande, Kåre (January 30, 2023). "(+) Mats er halvt hedøl og blir sett på som en «rising star»". Avisa Valdres.
edit