Februar, marec 2011 - Adria Airways

( 61 )
Biathlon
At Rudno polje, a biathlon shooting range was set up
next to the army barracks, and this is no surprise, since the
biathlon is still regarded today as a “military” sport. The
first competition to combine skiing and shooting was back
in 1767, when Swedish and Norwegian patrols competed against each
other. But the biathlons of the modern age started in 1958 in the competition
at Saaltfelden. Then just two years later, the biathlon enhanced
the Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley.
Since 1978 the biathlon has no longer involved stopping to shoot a
military rifle at a target of glass, but a small-calibre weapon (5.6 mm)
at a metal target, which when hit topples over and the previously black
circle turns white.
In the modern sport, biathletes shoot the small-calibre weapon at a
distance of 50 metres from the target, which are black and have a diameter
of 115 mm. To take a successful shot, from a prone position they must hit
the middle part of the target, which has a diameter of 45 mm, while from a
standing position it is enough for them to hit the bigger circle.
Biathlon shooting is no laughing matter, since when competitors get
to the shooting range their heartbeat is racing at around 160 to 170 beats
a minute. When the biathletes stop at their individual targets, load their
weapons and fire off five rounds, even the best of them take 22 to 25 seconds.
In most events, a missed shot is punished by an additional 150 metres
to cover on skis, and this too is performed in around 25 seconds. Only
on the longest trials, the “individual” distances of 20 km for men and 15
km for women, does each missed shot incur a penalty of an extra minute.
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