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Biathlon - An Introduction and Betting Tactics.

An article from Betfair Betting Exchange for Best Ten Gaming Sites

Each month we try to expand your mind and punting horizons to the more of the sports we offer at Betfair. This month we have secured the services of a leading Nordic winter sports expert to spread the word about biathlon, a highly-competitive blend of cross-country skiing and shooting.

Biathlon is one of the most popular winter sports, and probably the number one winter sport for betting. It is the winter sport with the fastest growing audiences and TV viewers. Top athletes come from Europe, North America and Asia. With the combination of skiing and shooting, the result can be in the balance until the very end of the race, as a missed target in one of the last shots or declining speed in the finishing stages of the cross-country section can lose an athlete several places in the race.

Introduction:

Biathlon is a sporting event made up of two disciplines; cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. A biathlon competition consists of a race in which contestants ski around a cross-country track, with the total distance is broken up by either two or four shooting rounds, half in prone position (laying down), the other half standing. The target distance is 50 metres, and there are five targets in each shooting round. Missing targets means extra distance or time is added to the contestant's total running distance/time. As in most races, the contestant with the shortest total time wins.

There are five different racing formats: Sprint, Pursuit, Individual, Mass Start and Relay.

Sprint: 7.5km for women and 10km for men with two shooting rounds of five shots each, one round prone and one standing. For each missed target a 150m penalty loop must be skied before the race can be continued. Competitors start thirty seconds apart according to a start list.

Pursuit: Starting positions are separated by the time difference from a previous Sprint event, the contestant crossing the finish line first is the winner. The distance is 12.5km for men, and 10km for women. There are four shooting rounds, two in prone and two in standing position. For each missed target, there is a 150m penalty loop to be skied before the race can be continued.

Individual: A 20km race for men, and 15km for women. Biathletes shoot four rounds for a total of 20 shots, two rounds in prone and two rounds in standing position. For each missed target, one minute is added to the contestant’s total time. Competitors start thirty seconds apart according to a start list.

Mass Start: 15km for men and 12.5km for women. In this event all the contestants start at the same time, the first contestant to cross the finish-line wins. There are four rounds of shooting (two prone, two standing) and for each missed target the contestant must ski a penalty loop of 150 metres before he can continue the race.

Relay: The relay consists of a team of four biathletes from each nation, who each ski 7.5km (women) or 10km (men). There are two shooting rounds, one prone and one standing, and each athlete has eight bullets to hit the five targets. If you can't hit the five targets in eight shots, one penalty loop of 150 metres must be skied for each missed target before the race can be continued.

Important Competitions:

The biathlon season lasts from November until mid-March. World Cup races make up much of the schedule, where the biathlete with the most points awarded during a season is the overall winner.

The Olympic Games has four biathlon competitions for each sex. Sprint, Individual, Pursuit and Relay.

World Championships are staged each year, with six competitions; five for each sex plus the Mixed Relay.

What to look for:

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.

Markets:

Long term:

Odds to win the World Cup Overall

Race day markets:

Winner.

Top 3.

Head to head match bets.

All bet types are offered in-play so make yourself familiar with the various styles of race and particularly the start method. A mass start is significantly different to a race where competitors start 30 seconds apart, or according to margins from a previous event.

Who are the big names to look out for?

Ole Einar Bjørndalen is the biggest name in biathlon. At the 2002 Winter Olympics, he won four gold medals, becoming the first biathlete to win all singles races at one Olympics, and only the third winter athlete to win four golds at one Games. With over 75 World Cup race wins to date, he is the Tiger Woods of biathlon.

Kati Wilhelm is one of the best female biathletes. Known as Little Red Riding Hood because of her characteristic dyed red hair and red racing cap, she has won three Olympic gold medals, was named German Sportswoman of the year in 2006 and has numerous endorsement deals.

Magdalena Neuner is the new star of women’s biathlon. Twenty years old, blonde and blessed with stunning looks, she was the youngest ever triple World Champion earlier this year. A superb skier, she is expected to be amongst the elite biathletes for the next decade.

Information on Biathlon:

Information on Biathlon in general, past results, upcoming events, shooting statistics etc can be found at www.biathlonworld.com and most races are televised live on Eurosport.