Biathlon at the Beijing Olympics: What are the rules, how does scoring work, medal prospects
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Published 22/12/2021 at 09:00 GMT
Biathlon - a combination of cross-country skiing and shooting - has featured at the Winter Olympics in its current form since 1960, though an old, military version preceded it. Norway, like cross-country skiing, are going to be the team to beat, having claimed 14 medals at the World Championships in 2021. Watch every event live from Beijing 2022 across Eurosport, the Eurosport app and discovery+
Tiril Eckhoff holds nerve to take another pursuit win
One of the ultimate tests of nerve, biathlon has been on the Winter Olympic schedule in its current form since 1960 - but it was preceded by a military-style version of it before that.
Between 1924 and 1948, the ‘military patrol’ was included in the programme - combination of cross-country skiing, ski mountaineering and rifle shooting - but it was only in 1924 where medals were handed out for that.
Now it is a combination of cross-country skiing - almost exclusively using the skate skiing technique (which looks like ice skating on skis) - and rifle shooting, either from a standing or lying down position. Depending on the event, athletes are punished for missing targets by either having to race an extra distance, or they receive a time penalty.
The sport originated in Scandinavia, where people would hunt on skis with a rifle strapped to them. Germany are the most successful team in Olympic biathlon with 52 medals in total, 11 more than Norway.
The greatest biathlon competitor in the sport’s history is also the most successful male athlete ever at the Winter Olympics. Ole Einar Bjorndalen is a Games legend who won 13 medals across his Olympic career, eight of which were gold, an achievement only matched by two other athletes - fellow Norwegians Marit Bjorgen and Bjorn Daehlie.
Germany’s Ursula Disl is the most successful female athlete, with nine medals in total.
Eleven events will be contested in Beijing and while Germany were top of the medal table at Pyeongchang 2018, they had a disappointing World Championships.
Norway’s Tiril Eckhoff is the most successful female biathlete who is still competing and she won three golds at the World Championships in 2021, while Johannes Thingnes Bo will be one of the leading contenders in the men’s competition, where he will be looking to defend his 20km individual title.
Biathlon participants and medal prospects
Team GB will not be involved - Norway have the leading contenders in the biathlon, with Tiril Eckhoff looking to take her form from the World Championships in 2021 into the Beijing Games.
She claimed gold in three events at that competition and will be looking to top the Olympic podium for a second time, having won a title at Sochi 2014. Sweden’s Hanna Oberg is likely to challenge for medals too.
In the men’s competition, Johannes Thingnes Bo will be looking to defend his individual title.
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Johannes Thingnes Bø nails all five shots with his golden gun
Several of the sport’s champions from Pyeongchang have since retired, including Martin Fourcade of France and Germany’s Laura Dahlmeier.
Biathlon events and format
210 quota spots are available to qualify for the Winter Olympics and there will be 11 events in total in Beijing, they are:
Men
- 10 km Sprint
- 20 km Individual
- 12.5 km Pursuit
- 15 km Mass Start
- 4 x 7.5 km Relay
Women
- 7.5 km Sprint
- 15 km Individual
- 10 km Pursuit
- 12.5 km Mass Start
- 4 x 6 km Relay
Mixed
- 4x6km (W+M) Mixed Relay
All of the events apart from the mass start begin in intervals. They all follow a format of cross-country combined with either two or four shooting rounds, depending on the distance - half of these will be in the standing position, with the other half prone (lying on an athlete’s front). Events differ, but missed targets will result in either a time penalty or a having to complete a penalty lap.
Who won the last Olympic golds in biathlon?
Biathlon legend Martin Fourcade of France has retired but signed off his Olympic career by claiming the pursuit and mass start gold medals in Pyeongchang.
Germany’s Arnd Peiffer won the sprint title in 2018, and he has also hung up his skis. Johannes Thingnes Bo is the only male athlete who will be in Beijing defending an individual title, having claimed the 20km gold. Sweden are the reigning relay champions.
It is a similar situation in the women’s competition, where Germany’s Laura Dahlmeier - who won sprint and pursuit gold - has also retired, as has the mass start champion Anastasiya Kuzmina of Slovakia.
Sweden’s Hanna Oberg will be trying to defend her 15km title, while Belarus are the relay holders.
In the mixed event, France - led by Fourcade - won gold.
Biathlon rules
Apart from the mass start - which is a race to the finish line - all disciplines are ranked on times with the addition of any penalties for missing shooting targets added on top.
Athletes can use any skating style they wish, which is why freestyle - or skate skiing - is almost exclusively used, given it is by far the fastest. At each shooting range, competitors have to hit five targets from 50 metres - either from a standing or prone position. This happens two or four times, depending on the length of the race. When athletes are lying down, they must make sure that the rifle is not touching the ground.
If they miss, penalty times are added on, or they will be made to race around a loop at the end of the shooting range.
Biathlon relay rules explained
In the relay, four athletes each race over 7.5km for men and 6km for women with two rounds of shooting - one standing and one prone. For the five targets, there will be eight bullets available for each. Those on the first leg all go off at the same time - therefore the first of the fourth leg athletes to cross the line is the winner.
In the mixed relay, two men and two women form a team and they all race over 6km each.
Biathlon mass start rules explained
The mass start is the only discipline where all athletes go off at the same time - with the top 30 all taking part. The first athlete to cross the finish line is the winner.
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