Biathlon
The symbolic re-enactment of a primordial activity: hunting in the snow, the long treks on skis, glimpsing the prey, the coolness of a marksman.
Power and precision, the ability to slide on the snow and aim looking the target in the eye: the sum of all this constitutes the very soul of the biathlon event.
The events take place on circuits of various lengths (2 km, 2.5 km, 3 km, 4 km) depending on the specialty. After each circuit, the athletes have to complete a shooting session at the rifle range, each one consisting of five shots.
The penalties are deducted by having to cover an additional 150 m circuit for each target missed, or with the addition of one minute to the total time for each target missed in the individual events. The time taken for the four shooting sections is deducted, therefore each athlete tries to reduce their time in the rifle range to a minimum: the best arrive at 30 seconds, and are able to hit the five targets in approximately 15 seconds from the first shot. The winner is the one that manages to complete the entire circuit in the best time (including the time taken for shooting) with the addition of possible penalties.
|