The word Biathlon is a familiar term any time the Winter Olympics comes around. Biathlon is a unique sport that is a combination of two activities. The Biathlon includes cross-country skiing and shooting into one. This may sound like an odd pairing of sports but the Biathlon has been around for many years and was once referred to as the military ski patrol. The Biathlon is considered a race and therefore the winner is chosen by the person who completes the course with fastest time.
Penalties.
There are different style races in the Biathlon but for the most part they all have similar rules attached to them. In each race, the skiers have to shoot at targets throughout the race. The amount and consistency of the targets vary in each race. When a skier misses a target they are penalized, either in the form of one minute added to their time or an extra one hundred and meters added on to end of the race. The distance that is added on because of the missed targets is completed after the general course is finished.
Races
As mentioned before there are different types of races in a Biathlon. Each race has a set distance and and amount of targets to hit to complete the course.
- Individual – The individual race was the original setting for the Biathlon event. Men’s individual is 20 km and Women’s is 15 km. Skiers start in intervals and along the way have to stop four times to hit five targets each.
- Sprint – This race starts the same as the Individual except with half the distance and half the amount of stops to shoot targets.
- Pursuit – The skier with the best time from the Sprint race starts first and every other skier follows after a period of time. The pursuit race has the same distance as the Sprint race but includes four stops with five targets each rather than two stops. The goal of this race is to pass the leader. In Pursuit, shooters shoot one at a time so other skiers do have to wait until the skier in front of them is done shooting to move forward.
- Relay – One competitor from each team starts the race and has to complete a distance of 7.5 km each. Two shooting segments have to be completed as well but skiers in this race have the chance to reload their rifle, manually with three additional shots.
There are a few other race styles included in the Biathlon but one thing is clear. Biathlon athletes need to rapidly adjust to intense cardio to complete stillness. There is no exception for the amount of skill Biathlon athletes have in competition.