Biathlon is one of the most popular winter sports. There are countless fans around the world. This sport in itself combines the elements of cross-country skiing and shooting. Imagine that you are not just skiing, but during the race you are also shooting at targets at a distance of fifty meters. To overcome this kind of load, you need to have excellent physical fitness.
Biathlon is very popular in different countries. Since this is a dynamic sport, you won’t be bored while watching the race. Let's talk about the rules of biathlon.
Biathlon equipment
To practice this sport, you will need special equipment.
The most basic thing without which biathlon loses its meaning is a small-caliber rifle. It still has an unusual design. Her lightness is the main indicator. Despite being 22 caliber, it weighs just 3.5 kilograms. The clip of this rifle is designed for 5 rounds, and reloading is done manually. The speed of a bullet produced from this gun is 380-390 meters per second.
What a biathlon without skis and sticks! To select them, you need to adhere to several rules:
- the ends of the skis should be less bent up;
- length should be 4 cm less than the growth of a biathlete;
- sticks choose those that will reach the length of the chin or mouth.
If you watched at least once a biathlon or cross-country skiing, you might notice that athletes run in special suits. These overalls allow you to maintain a constant body temperature and minimize wind resistance. Ski bots should fit your foot tight and fix your ankle to avoid serious damage.
In principle, this is all that you may need in order to engage in biathlon.
In biathlon, as in any sport, there are rules. Let's go through them.
Biathlon Rules
Athletes must go through a gear test before entering the start. It includes: weighing the mass of the gun from which shots will be fired at targets, measuring the length of poles and skis, obtaining special, tachometric sensors.
After completing the formalities, depending on the type of race, the biathletes go to the starting position and at the command of the judge (usually a shot from a pistol or a sound signal) begin to move along the track.
For example, the rules of an individual biathlon race differ from other types in that if the target was not closed, the participant receives a penalty minute.
During the race, the athlete must call at the shooting range and hit 5 targets from a prone position and standing. The target in biathlon is divided into two varieties. One of them is 45 millimeters, the other is 115 millimeters. Upon arrival for shooting from a prone position, the diameter will be 45 millimeters. That is, you need to hit the very center of the target. If you fall into the outer part of the radius, the shot will not be counted. When shooting from a standing position, you need to get into the general radius, but not in the white background. The distance from the rifle to the target is 50 meters. When all black circles are closed, the athlete goes further into the distance. If part of the goals was not closed, then the athlete, depending on the type of race (we will consider them below), is sent either to the penalty circles, or receives additional minutes by the time the track passes.
Also, a biathlete can be punished for:
- cut the distance along the shortest path;
- damage to inventory and deliberate obstruction of the path for other participants in the race;
- fire on targets of rivals;
- attempt to miss a sentence, in the form of penalties.
The number of athletes going to the start varies by race type.
Let's move on from biathlon rules to action.
Sprint
The distance for male sprinters is 10 kilometers, while women run 7.5 kilometers. The gradient of the rises and the total elevation is 300-400 meters. Biathletes start from the set points, with a thirty-second interval between them. In the sprint, only twice the athlete calls on the firing line. He completes the first round by shooting from a prone position, the second and last standing respectively. In the case of hitting all targets, he calmly goes to a distance. If there were errors, then the number of penalties will be equal to the number of misses made at the shooting range. The penalty circle is 150 meters. On average, you can overcome in 23-25 seconds, but faster athletes pass it in 17-19 seconds. The winner determines the best time to complete the course.
The order of issue of chest numbers is determined by drawing lots, which takes place before the start of the race. There are a small number of factors due to which athletes choose when to start. For example, if you start the race in the tail, then at the start you already know the results of other participants. But there are also disadvantages, by the end of the track it starts to be loose, and choosing the appropriate ski lubricant is very difficult, which cannot be said about those who start at the beginning of the race.
Pursuit Race (Graze)
The rules of pursuit in biathlon are similar to the rules of many sports that have such discipline in their arsenal.
At its core, the pursuit is a continuation of the sprint competition. In this race, participants get the opportunity to rehabilitate for their failures in the previous race. The duration of the race is 12.5 kilometers for men, 10 kilometers for women. 60 athletes take part, taking 60 first places respectively. The winner goes first, followed by the rest of the athletes, with the time interval they lost to their closest rivals. The first two lines are from a prone position, the next standing. Misses are punishable by extra meters, that is, circles. The winner is the one who crosses the line first.
Individual race
Consider the rules of the individual race in biathlon.
This type of race is the very first included in the biathlon. 20 kilometers is the length of the distance for men, while for women it is 15 kilometers. The elevation varies from 600 - 800 meters. The essence of the start of the participants is similar to sprint competitions. Biathletes start at intervals of 30-60 seconds, depending on various factors. During the race you need to overcome four firing lines, alternating on each of them shooting from a prone position and standing. In the event of a miss, the participant is awarded an additional minute by the time of the race. The penalty minutes are calculated according to the principle: one miss = one penalty minute. The winner is the athlete who overcame the track with the best time and taking into account all the additional minutes received at the shooting range.
Mass start
The rules of biathlon competitions are different, as an example we give a mass start.
30 athletes go to the start, occupying the 30 first positions in the overall World Cup standings, respectively. The first three numbers start in the first line, the rest line up for 10 people and begin to move behind them. The distance for men is 15 kilometers, and for women is 10 km. During the race, the biathlete will have to look at the shooting range four times. Shoot two times lying down and two standing. For misses on the target, the athlete is punished with a fine in the form of a 150-meter penalty circle.
Relay race
Let's go through the rules of the biathlon relay.
In this type of program, the four athletes represent the flag of their country. The length of the route for men's teams is 7.5 kilometers, women's - 6 kilometers. At any stage, participants shoot twice. Once lying down, the second standing. In contrast to the sprint, as a chance to correct the situation, three additional cartridges are given. If there are misses out of five shots, then you can use them and rehabilitate yourself. If, after all the cartridges have been exhausted, there are unclosed targets at the turn, then the athlete is waited by penalty circles. Their number depends on unclosed targets. When changing stages, as in athletics, you must always touch the next participant, otherwise the team will be disqualified. The winner is the team whose last stage crosses the finish line first.
The rules of the biathlon game stipulate that after each race participants are awarded cup points, the totality of which allows you to take part in the fight for the main trophy of the season, which is called the "Big Crystal Globe". There is also a Small Crystal Globe that will mark the winner in certain types of competitions. Nations Cup - these are the indicators of all athletes and relay races that took place throughout the season. The higher the position in this segment, the more athletes the country can enter in the application for the next season.
These were all the rules of biathlon, as well as its features and subtleties.