BRILLION-(NBC 26) — Biathlon is in full swing at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
NBC 26 sports reporter John Miller caught up with Sean Becker, general manager of the Ariens Nordic Center, to learn more about the sport.
“Biathlon kind of started in the Scandinavian countries as military patrol, where the border patrol were on Nordic skis, and I think in a way to try to make it a little more exciting, they would shoot at targets that were 200 meters away with long rifles and ski with the rifles. Eventually it turned into a sport,” Becker said.
Biathlon is a sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Depending on the distance of the race, competitors ski a lap and then shoot at a target that is 50 meters away.
“You're shooting a .22 long rifle, low velocity, and the rifles are a specific weight,” Becker said. “They can't be too light. They shouldn't be too heavy.”
Biathletes shoot in both the prone position and standing position. Each time you shoot, you try to hit all five targets, and if you miss even one, there is a penalty — you have to ski an extra 150 meters or get a minute added onto your total time, depending on the race.
“You can end up skiing a lot more distance than everybody else in the race if you're not hitting your targets,” Becker said.
It's complex and challenging. In fact, Becker believes biathlon could very well be the most difficult Olympic sport.
“I'd say cross-country skiing as a whole is a great cardiovascular sport and it's very demanding on the body. You watch the athletes that are winning medals — they're just superhuman,” Becker said.
They have to be in remarkable shape. Becker says shooting takes a lot of breath work, so the athletes have to be able to control their breathing and their heart rate.
“They say that the good athletes shoot between breaths and the great athletes shoot between heartbeats,” Becker said. “You do have to control your heart rate as best you can when you come into the range.”
Brillion is considered one of the best training grounds in the entire nation. It’s home to Olympian Paul Schommer of Appleton and Pulaski native Deedra Irwin has also trained there.
“That means a lot to us, but it also means a lot to the youth athletes that come here to train,” Becker said.
