Biathlon Shooting: Prone vs. Standing

Biathlon Shooting Rules: Precision Under Pressure at 50 Meters

The shooting range is where biathlon races are won and lost. An athlete can be the fastest skier in the field, but two missed targets in a sprint race means roughly 45 seconds in penalty loops — an eternity. The International Biathlon Union (IBU) governs every aspect of the shooting component, from target dimensions to ammunition specifications.

Target Specifications

All biathlon targets are 50 meters from the firing line. Each athlete shoots at a strip of five metal targets:

• Prone (lying down): target diameter is 45 mm — slightly larger than a golf ball.
• Standing: target diameter is 115 mm — roughly the size of a CD.

The larger standing target compensates for the significantly greater difficulty of shooting while upright, breathing hard, and with an elevated heart rate. Targets are mechanical: a white disc flips to black when hit, providing instant visible feedback.

Shooting Positions

In events with two shooting stages (sprint), the order is prone, then standing. In events with four stages (individual, pursuit, mass start), the order is prone-standing-prone-standing.

Prone position rules: the athlete lies flat with the rifle supported only by the hands, shoulder, and sling. The sling may wrap around the upper arm but must not create an artificial rest. Both elbows must touch the ground.

Standing position rules: the athlete stands without external support. The rifle can rest against the shoulder and cheek; the sling may assist but not be wrapped to create stability beyond what the body naturally provides.

The Rifle

Biathlon rifles must be:

• Bolt action — no semi-automatic or automatic mechanisms.
• Minimum weight: 3.5 kg (including magazine).
• Caliber: .22 Long Rifle (5.6 mm).
• Magazine: five rounds per stage.

The rifle is carried on the athlete’s back in a special harness throughout the skiing portions. Athletes must safe the rifle (bolt open, magazine removed) before leaving the range.

Spare Rounds in Relay

In relay events, each athlete has five rounds in the magazine plus three spare rounds per shooting stage. The spares are loaded one at a time, by hand, directly into the rifle’s chamber — a slow, deliberate process that costs roughly 5–8 seconds per spare round. If all eight shots are fired and targets remain, the athlete must ski a 150-meter penalty loop for each remaining target.

Range Procedures and Penalties

Athletes must enter the range from the correct side, approach their assigned lane, prepare their shooting mat (for prone), and fire all five shots before leaving. Shooting at the wrong target (cross-fire) is counted as a miss for the athlete’s own target, regardless of whether the other target was hit.

Leaving the range without firing all five shots results in a penalty for each unfired shot.

Wind and Conditions

Biathlon shooting is conducted outdoors, exposed to wind and weather. Wind flags are positioned at the range to help athletes and coaches gauge conditions, but no mechanical wind measurement is used to adjust scores. Athletes must read the wind and adjust their aim — a missed target by millimeters in a crosswind is still a miss.

The IBU jury can postpone or cancel a race if wind conditions make shooting unsafe or excessively random, but this power is rarely exercised.