View Biathlon Shooting Positions Pics. If the target is missed then a one minute penalty is imposed. An event includes several shooting sessions that alternate between prone and standing positions;

Biathlon History Rules Stages And Equipment from sport-wiki.org

So just how far do biathlon athletes shoot? What was the biathlon ancestor? Athletes shoot targets set up 50m away and will shoot from either a standing position, for targets that are 4.5 wide, or prone position where the athletes lay on their stomachs, for targets that are 1.8 wide.

Depending on the shooting performance, extra distance or time is added to.

They ski into a rifle range and shoot five targets in defined shooting positions which are either standing or prone (lying down). Targets measuring 4.5 centimetres in diameter. The first olympic biathlon competitions were held in 1960 in squaw valley, california (usa). The biathlete shoots between breaths to stabilize the rifle.