ANTERSELVA, Italy, Feb 14 (Reuters) - There was a familiar sight after the men's biathlon sprint as a grinning Johannes Thingnes Boe stood near the finish line, but rather than holding his rifle aloft in triumph at the Olympics, the retired great brandished a broadcaster's microphone.
Winner of four gold medals in Beijing and one of the most dominant racers the sport has ever seen, Boe shocked the biathlon world by quitting at the end of last season.
The 32-year-old skipped a final Games to spend more time with his family and he has not regretted it for a second.
"It's nice to be here in the Olympics. I looked forward to Milano-Cortina for many years and I knew it could be my final (Games), it should be my final, but then things changed," Boe, expert commentator for Norwegian broadcaster NRK, told Reuters.
"I think I've explained it a thousand times but, yeah, it's nice to be here on the other side and to see my friends and the coaches and to be part of it."
Still looking trim and fit and as though he could easily jump the fence and take part, Boe said he really enjoyed watching the dramatic climax of Friday's sprint race.
His old foe, 33-year-old Quentin Fillon Maillet of France, rolled back the years to win gold, with Boe's former Norway teammates Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen and Sturla Holm Laegreid taking silver and bronze respectively.
There was added drama due to Frenchman Emilien Jacquelin missing out on the podium by two-tenths of a second, which led to a verbal bust-up between himself and Laegreid after the race that only added to the intrigue.
"It was the perfect biathlon race. It was perfection - it was many nations, it was close calls, a fight for the podium. I felt sorry for Emilien, but he will strike back in the pursuit (on Sunday), I'm sure," Boe said.
Surveying the camera crews as they took down their equipment for the night, the 23-times world champion and five-times Olympic gold medal winner was asked if he missed competing.
"Yeah, you do ... but I have no, like, feelings about making the wrong choice, you know?" said Boe, his easy smile returning.
"I will not go to bed with a medal, but before going to bed I will take a beer, so you can't have both!"
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor; Editing by Ken Ferris)
