Shooters and biathletes are getting closer in the future

At the entrance to the biathlon arena in Lenzerheide, Swiss Shooting has a stand where laser pistols and rifles are fired. Even without being out of breath, only a few hit the bull's eye. There is no better illustration of the precision work that the world's best have to perform at the Biathlon World Championships.

Over the past few decades, Swiss Shooting has moved away from its "Rössli stump" image and has mutated into a top sports association with Olympic champions Nina Christen and Chiara Leone. At first glance, it seems obvious that Swiss-Ski should benefit from this knowledge. But this is not working.

Big differences

"The sports are too different," says Swiss biathlon head coach Sandra Flunger. "We shoot under pressure." Standing in particular, the aiming technique is a reaction shot, while marksmen aim for precision. "And the clothing and the weapon are not comparable either." Shooting jackets, pants and shoes for marksmen are like high-tech products that provide stability and are actually the opposite of cross-country skiing equipment.

There are common points such as the breathing technique, the shot set-up or the so-called SCATT analysis, in which a large number of movements of the weapon are measured during the entire shooting process. If a biathlete repeatedly falls back into the same error pattern, you can go back to basic training. "But for me as a coach, the shots under load are much more important."

Swiss Shooting's demo tent is not in front of the biathlon arena because the cooperation between the two associations would be particularly close. The main reason lies in a return invitation. The shooters celebrated their 200th anniversary in 2024 and encouraged Swiss sports associations to present themselves. The World Cup OC led by Jürg Capol seized this opportunity and now holds a counter-invitation.

Target sprint has potential

In the future, however, biathlon and shooting could come closer together at training level. The World Shooting Association has been developing the Target Sprint discipline for several years. Shooting is combined with 400 m runs and the rules are based on the biathlon. The world championships were held for the first time in 2023. The discipline is promoted in Switzerland by Y+S and coach training courses are offered.

If you consider the drama that a biathlon competition offers, the target sprint certainly has potential. And if this discipline really does achieve a breakthrough, it is not impossible that athletes will one day compete in both disciplines - biathlon in winter for Swiss-Ski and target sprint in summer for Swiss Shooting.