BIATHLON RULES (2025) (.PDF FORMAT, 84P.) (INTERNATIONAL BIATHLON UNION)
RULES ANNEXES (NOVEMBER 2024) (.PDF FORMAT, 48P.) (IBU)
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This was one of the major events of the 2024-25 World Cup Season. Biathlon is made up of two disciplines, Cross Country Skiing and Target Shooting. The Cross Country starts the competition. It contains a certain number of loops around the course. Each loop is followed by a "shooting gallery" where there are 5 targets. Shooting is done either standing or prone after each loop. The penalty for missing the target is either a time penalty or skiing around a penalty loop. (More on how this works for each competition and gender is shown on a great table--P.8 of the rule book above.)
Either way time is added to the total by missing shots. In fact, if you watch closely, you will see that it is the shooting that is the crucial factor. (See the ski time and the result time for Anna-Karin Heijdenberg in the full results for the Women's 15 KM below for an example of this).
Watching these fantastic skiers get their hearts racing and then stop, take a couple of breaths to calm themselves, and then hit any targets at all, much less 5, is a true testament to the fitness it takes to compete at this level.
FOR AN OVERVIEW OF THE COMPETITION, WIKIPEDIA HAS A WELL ORGANIZED, EASY TO FOLLOW ENTRY.
NOTE: SOURCE FOR ALL VIDEOS IS BIATHLON WORLD YOUTUBE; FOR ALL CONTESTANTS, MATCH STORIES, PLAYER INFORMATION, AND STATISTICS, BIATHLON WORLD
JANUARY 29, 2025
WOMEN'S 15 KM INDIVIDUAL
JOHANNA PUFF (GERMANY)--TIME: 47:06.4--TARGETS: 20-20; WON BY 9.5 SECONDS
FULL RESULTS (.PDF FORMAT, 3P.)
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MEN'S 20 KM INDIVIDUAL
ISAK FREY (NORWAY)--TIME: 54:10.7--TARGETS: 18-20: WON BY 31.7 SECONDS
FULL RESULTS (.PDF FORMAT, 4P.)
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JANUARY 31, 2025
WOMEN'S 7.5 KM SPRINT
ANNA-KARIN HEIJDENBERG (SWEDEN)--TIME: 21:43.1--TARGETS: 10-10: WON BY 49.3 SECONDS
FULL RESULTS: (.PDF FORMAT, 3P.)
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MEN'S 10 KM SPRINT
SIVERT GUTTORM BAKKEN (NORWAY): TIME: 25:03.6--TARGETS: 10-10; WON BY 6.6 SECONDS
FULL RESULTS (.PDF FORMAT, 3P.)
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FEBRUARY 1, 2025
WOMEN'S 10 KM PURSUIT
BAIBA BENDIKA (LATVIA): TIME: 33:54.4--TARGETS: 17-20; WON BY 15.6 SECONDS
FULL RESULTS (.PDF FORMAT, 2P.)
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MEN'S 12.5 KM PURSUIT
PATRICK BRAUNHOFER (ITALY): TIME: 34:37.2--TARGETS: 20-20: WON BY 22.7 SECONDS
FULL RESULTS (.PDF FORMAT, 2P.)
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FEBRUARY 2, 2025
WOMEN'S 4 X 6 KM RELAY
GERMANY: (STEPHANIE SCHERER, ANNA WEIDEL, MARLENE FICHTNER, JOHANNA PUFF): TIME: 1:14:04.2--TARGETS: 31-40; WON BY 22.3 SECONDS
FULL RESULTS: (.PDF FORMAT, 3P.)
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MEN'S 4 X 7.5 KM RELAY
NORWAY: (VETLE SJASTAD CHRISTIANSEN, SVERE DAHLEN ASPENES, SIVERT GUTTORM BAKKEN, ISAK FREY) TIME: 1:16:00.1--TARGETS: 39-40; WON BY 2:06.9
FULL RESULTS: (.PDF FORMAT, 4P.)
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NORWAY WON 3 GOLD MEDALS, 2 SILVER, 1 BRONZE
GERMANY WON 2 GOLD, 2 SILVER
NOTE: BOOTLEG FULL RACE VIDEOS FOR ALL THESE RACES ARE AVAILABLE AS OF FEBRUARY 5, 2025 FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES: ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS SEARCH FOR THEM
