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biathlon, n. a sport combining marksmanship with a simultaneous physical component
biathlete, n. one who competes in biathlon
The most prevalent form of biathlon today combines cross-country skiing with rifle marksmanship into a sporting event that is second to none in either difficulty for the athletes or excitement for the spectators. That any one of perhaps two dozen athletes on any given day can win a race underscores the drama that unfolds before spectators’ eyes.
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Last Updated on Sunday, 20 July 2008 14:10 |
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Rock paintings in Norway, dating back to about 3000 BC, depict bow hunters on wood skis. The Greeks, Romans, and Chinese also wrote about the method of hunting on foot in earlier times. Biathlon is a sport dating back millennia. The sport is a tribute to these prehistoric roots, which belong to every human being. Though combining a high-intensity sport like cross-country skiing with a precise and methodical activity like rifle shooting might seem awkward, it truly was a way of life for our species before the rise of civilization.
In Norway, where biathlon is very much a tradition, the story of the birkebeiner is well known. In 1205, a small group of men successfully saved the infant Crown Prince Håkon from certain execution by carrying him fifty-kilometers over mountains on skis with bows on their backs. Though biathlon was not yet an organized sport, the concept continued.
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Last Updated on Sunday, 20 July 2008 14:11 |
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