Many modern sports were derived from life’s necessities and biathlon is a perfect example. For millions of years, man has traversed the frozen land in search of food, and when the food was found, he relied on his skill as a marksman to make the kill. To this day, there are places in the world where people still hunt and kill their own food. Biathlon is a sport that combines cross-country skiing with precision target shooting, taking the skills needed to survive and creating a sport enjoyed around the world.

A summer version of biathlon exists, but when most people think about the sport, they think of the winter version. The sport requires proficiency in many things. Competitors must have strength, speed and endurance to excel in the skiing portion of the event. Biathletes must also be able to shut down their adrenaline and focus on target shooting. For this, they need concentration and a steady hand.

Biathlon originated in Norway and the early competitions took place among the Norwegian military. The event was a demonstration sport in the Winter Games for many years until it became a medal sport in 1960. This is where most westerners were first exposed to the sport. The sport has five disciplines: individual, sprint, pursuit, mass start and relay. It is a race against the clock.

In the individual competition, male athletes compete at a 20km distance and female athletes at 15km. There are four shooting stages. Two of them are shot from a standing position and two are shot from a prone position (lying on the stomach). Each missed shot results in one minute added to the athlete’s final time.

The sprint works a little differently. The distance is shorter and there are only two shooting rounds. Instead of time added, a missed shot results in a penalty lap before continuing.

In the pursuit discipline, the biathlete’s sprint time comes into play. This event features a staggered start. The athlete’s starting position is determined by their time in the sprint. Like in the sprint, a missed shot results in a penalty lap.

In the mass start event, all competitors begin at once. However, competitors begin at the shooting range rather than a starting line. There are four shooting stages, two standing and two prone, and again, missed shots result in penalty laps.

Finally, the relay event is comprised of teams. Four biathletes compete, with each taking a shooting and skiing stage. Missed shots result in penalty laps and nobody wants to be that person.

Biathlon is a sport of speed and skill, one that holds glory for some. It’s a sport that flexes the skills human beings needed to survive.