What to look for

06 Biathlon / Betfair Education / 25 March 2008 / Leave a comment

There are two skills you need to be a successful biathlete: fast cross-country skiing and precise shooting.

In the Sprint, fast skiing and fast shooting is of most importance as there are only two shooting rounds with a total of 10 shots, and fast skiers can compensate for a few missed targets, while in the Individual, a minute is added for each missed target, which makes precise shooting more important.

As in most sports, a combination of the different skills is needed. Shooting statistics will give you the necessary information on an athlete's shooting performance, while past results will give you an idea on who the fastest skiers are. Anything over 85% for targets hit dictates a very good shooter, while the speed in the cross country tracks usually varies more depending on the physique of the athlete.

Wind can make shooting very tricky, particularly from the standing position. And when your heart is racing coming to the end of a race, it's very tough to be totally composed for that last round of shots. Just like in golf, there are some competitors you want your money riding on in a close finish and others you may prefer to oppose.