"Biathlon is shooting and skiing combined, right?"
- Yes, it is cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.
The word comes from the Greek for 'two tests'. It originated in the Scandinavian countries who equipped their armies with skies and guns.
Biathlon consists of 10 separate events and the aim is to complete the course in the least amount of time, hitting as many targets on a range as possible to avoid time penalties.
"Sounds demanding, it must be tough to focus on the shooting after skiing."
- Exactly, it requires fast cross-country racing, while the shooting needs accuracy.
Each target has five plates in a row. Missing a target can mean either a one-minute penalty or skiing an extra 150-metre loop.
"How far away are the targets and how big are they?"
- They are 50m away and the size depends on whether the athlete is shooting lying down, called the prone position, or standing.
In the prone position, the target is the size of a golf ball (45 mm) while standing, itGÇÖs the size of an apple (115 mm).
"How much time do competitors have to shoot and how far do they ski?"
- There is no limit, but time is crucial.
It takes around 20 to 25 seconds to aim and shoot five bullets. But missing can prove costly to medal ambitions.
Each event has around distances of between 6km to 20km.
"What weapons are used? There must be a lot of equipment."
- The biathletes wear skin-tight suits, while skiing, they carry a .22-calibre rifle in a special harness on their back. The rifles has a muzzle cover (to keep the snow out) and a magazine of five cartridges.
"How many events are there?"
- There will be ten medals up for grabs in five disciplines: the Individual, Sprint, Pursuit, Massed Start and Relay.
"What do the names mean?"
- In the individual event, competitors start one at a time, every 30 seconds on a loop course. Between each loop, athletes stop four times at the shooting range. If an athlete misses a shot, one minute is added to their total time.
The Sprint is three laps of a shorter loop course and each miss means an athlete must cover an extra 150-metres.
In the Pursuit, the winner of the Sprint event being chased down by their rivals who have staggered starts depending on their sprint times. A miss means an extra 150-metres.
"The Massed Start sounds like a recipe for a pile-up."
- It is all organised so the top 30 athletes start together and visit the shooting range four times. Each miss costs an extra 150 metres.
If a competitor is lapped during the competition, they must withdraw and the winner is the first across the line.
"What about the relay?"
- Each member of a four-person team skis a leg and tags the next team member when they finish. Instead of the usual five shots, each athlete is allowed an extra three bullets. A miss costs each athlete a 150-metres and the first athlete over the line wins for their team.
"I can imagine it's not doping free and the training must be intense."
- Like all endurance sports, it is prone to doping as the gap between success and failure can be less than a second.
Biathletes will train two and a half hours at a time and up to 13 or more sessions per week, they will ski up to 35 kilometres.
Biathletes often use swimming to help practicing breathing control for when they are on the shooting range.
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