Winter Olympic Games
Events > Olympics > Winter > Sports > Biathlon
Winter Olympic Sports: Biathlon
The Winter Olympic sport of Biathlon is a discipline which combines both cross-country skiing and target rifle shooting events. The sport was first developed as a training exercise for Norwegian soldiers - the first competition was held in 1767.
The cross country skiing component covers a distance of 7 to 20km depending which event of the biathlon contest.
In the shooting component, .22 calibre rifles are used at a range of 50 meters. At each stop, competitors have five bullets and five targets to hit. Each miss in the sprint, pursuit, and relay events results in a 150-m penalty loop. Each miss in the individual event adds one minute to the athlete's final time.
Events
| MEN'S EVENTS | WOMEN'S EVENTS |
|---|---|
|
|
HIstory
At the 1924 Games, a precursor event to the Biathlon was an event called Military Patrol. Miliatry Patrol/Biathlon was also a demonstration sport in 1928, 1936 and 1948. The sport made its official Olympic debut at Squaw Valley in 1960. Women's biathlon made its Olympic debut in 1992 in Albertville.
Trivia
-
In Squaw Valley 1960, Sweden's Klas Lestander won the first-ever biathlon, an event that combines cross-country skiing and shooting.
-
Mechanical targets for the Biathlon event was first used at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.
-
In 2002, Norway's Ole Einar Bjørndalen wins all four men's biathlon events.
Related Pages
- Biathlon Videos and Cross-Country Skiing Videos
- more Winter Olympics Sports
- Winter Olympics main page.
