BIATHLON SCHEDULE » Day 2 » Day 5 » Day 10 » Day 15 Saturday, Feb. 13 Tuesday, Feb. 16 Sunday, Feb. 21 Friday, Feb. 26 Women’s 7.5-km sprint Women’s 10-km pursuit Men’s 15-km mass start Men’s 4x7.5-km relay *1-2:10 p.m. *10:30-11:10 a.m. *10:45-11:45 a.m. *11:30-1:05 p.m. Men’s 12.5-km pursuit Women’s 12.5-km *12:45-1:25 p.m. mass start * Indicates medal event *1-1:45 p.m. Whistler Nordic Centre » Day 3 » Day 7 » Day 12 The venue,built between June Sunday, Feb. 14 Thursday, Feb. 18 Tuesday, Feb. 23 2005 and October 2007,will Men’s 10-km sprint Women’s 15-km individual Women’s 4x6-km relay play host to biathlon,cross- *11:15-12:25 p.m. *10-11:40 a.m. *11:30-1:05 p.m. country skiing,ski jumping Men’s 20-km individual and Nordic combined. *1-2:35 p.m. DECONSTRUCTING THE GAMES 99 BIATHLON: A heart-racing event It may not be the most glamorous of events, at least not in North America, but no other sport challenges athletes quite as much as this one. Canwest News Service writer Terry Bell explains: 2. BRINGING IT DOWN THE ATHLETES 1. HEART Heart rate:140 bpm Once in the target area,the key is to block out The biathletes who’ll be skiing and POUNDING distractions such as crowd noise,other shooters shooting in Whistler combine speed With eight-pound rifles and the intense pressure of competition in order and endurance with a calm focus. across their back,racers to fire five shots at five targets.The heart rate can Think Lance Armstrong and Steve sprint full out,their heart drop to about 140 beats per minute.Top shooters Nash. rates rising to about 200 fire five shots in 20 seconds. beats per minute.As they Endurance: Like cycling star approach a target area Lance Armstrong,biathletes are — some target pretty much going full tilt through areas have them in a an entire race.For six prone position,others to 20 km,they push standing — they their heart rate to slow slightly and within a few beats start taking deep of its maximum breaths to reduce and keep enough their heart rates. gas in the tank to win a sprint to the Heart rate:200 bpm finish. 3. CONCENTRATE If they miss a target,they Tranquility: Just as NBA point can’t stress out.Racers guard Steve Nash becomes a picture must take a breath, of calm and focus as he steps to the 6 exhale,close their eyes Biathlon foul line for two critical shots with Range for a moment to refocus, the game on the line,biathletes and then re-fire. 6 Biathlon take a deep breath,say “ahhh”and Range 1 2 squeeze the trigger.One missed Biathlon target could mean missing a medal. 3 Calm is king. 1 2 competition centre 7 Biathlon 3 competition centre W 7 a SMART FACTS x W a 1.A BIT OF HISTORY x MEDAL FAVOURITES Biathlon comes from the Greek word y for “two tests”.Men’s biathlon joined Put your money on the the Olympics at Squaw Valley in 1960, d while women’s biathlon came on board y e Euros at this event R 32 years later at Albertville,France. 4. START IT UP y r t d Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, Norway n AGAIN e u 2.THE TWO TESTS R 4 o y C “The Biathlon King”will be If they’re perfect with r s In biathlon,racers cross-country t s competing at his fifth Olympics in n their shots,the key is ro u C ski the course as quickly as possible,4 to stay in control.There’s o 2010.He has nine medals so far — C m pausing to shoot 22-calibre bullets s k five gold,three silver,one bronze more skiing ahead and s 5 o c from air rifles at metal targets 50 r e i — and needs one to pass retired the excitement of a perfect L C u p 5 Cross-Country A l m metres away.A missed shot means ei- P m B y German Uschi Disl for the all-time round could make anCo mpetition k y l 5 r O ther a minute of added penalty time Centre c t lead.Don’t think he’s past his e i athlete sprint out too fast p n L u u in individual events5 or skiing Cross-Country A l prime:the man with his own P Start m o and have nothing left B ly Competition y C a 150-metre penalty loop in the r O statue in his hometown of Centre for the finish. t s n s o u Simostranda won gold in the sprint,pursuit and sprint,relay,pursuit and mass start Finish r Start o C events. C individual events at 2009 worlds in South Korea. s m s k o 5 Kati Wilhelm, Germany 3.THE TARGETS Finish r c DCaylodge i p mticketing A 1998 Olympian in cross-country Each target has five plates k m and info ly 5 x skiing,Wilhelm switched sports after c a O arranged in a row.The target Daylodge i W seeing biathlon at the 1999 World changes depending on whether ticketing p m Military Games.She’s won six Olympic and info ly the athlete is shooting from a x a O medals:three gold,three silver. prone or standing position. W A master sergeant in the army,she When prone,it’s 45 mm or won gold in pursuit and silver in mass about the size of a golf ball. Olympic ski jump start and relay at the 2009 worlds. When standing,it’s the size THE VENUE large hill of a grapefruit (115 mm). Dominik Landertinger, Austria 1.This is a knoll where spectators can stand Top biathletes usually take Olympic ski jump 0+1 20 0+1 00 0+0 80 0+0 60 Landertinger,21,had a breakthrough 2008-09 0 and view some of the course’s best features: large hill 0+ 40 0+1 60 0+1 40 0+1 20 0+1 00 0 20 to 25 seconds to aim 0+36 season.He won gold in the mass start at the 2009 0 0+34 0 0+32 0 0+30 MID 0 the “Bullet Buster”,the shooting range, 0+28 STA TIO N 2 0 0+26 N 0 and shoot their five bullets. 0+24 worlds,denying Norway’s Ole Einar Bjoerndalen his 0+1 20 0+1 00 0+0 80 0+0 60 0 0+22 0 0+20 0 the start/finish area and the penalty loop. 0+18 0 0+16 0 0+14 0 0+ 40 0 There are flags to help 0+12 fourth win,and helped Austria take silver in the relay. 0+1 60 0+1 40 0+1 20 0+1 00 0 0+10 116161kkmm 0 0+36 Olympic ski jump 0 0+08 0 0+34 0 0+06 0 0+32 0 0+04 0 0+30 MID 0 shooters gauge wind 2. The shooting range. Self-explanatory. 0+28 STA TIO N 2 BOTTOM 60 STA TIO N 0+2 N normal hill 0 0+24 Olga Zaitseva,Russia. 0 0+22 0 0+20 0 0+18 0 velocity and speed. Don’t get too close. 0+16 0 0+14 0 0+12 0 0+10 O6lympic ski jump 116161kkmm A 2006 Olympic gold medallist in the relay,Zaitseva 0 0+08 Biathlon 0 0+06 0 0+04 BOTTOM 4.READY,AIM ... 3.The penalty loop.This is theSTA TIO N small normal hRiall nge Black - Di!cult (Olympic Red) served notice at the 2009 worlds that she’ll be a force in oval where skiers are forced to do 2010,winning gold in the mass start and relay and When in the prone position, penalty laps after they miss a target. 1 2 Black - Di!cult (Olympic Blue) bronze in the sprint and pursuit. athletes lie on a non-slip mat. Black - Di!cult (Olympic Red) When standing, 4) The Runway.This is a long, Biathlon 3 Blue - Intermediate gradual uphill straight that comes competitionBlack - Di!cult (Olympic Blue) the rifle can only come in centre 7 CANADIAN CORNER contact with the athlete’s after a steep,twisting uphill, Blue - Intermediate forcing skiers to work hard. W Jean-Philippe LeGuellec,Quebec City hands,shoulder,cheek and Maintenance a x chest next to the shoulder. It’s a place where the top Bracersuilding LeGuellec,24 is a bright light on the should be able to separate Canadian team.He was 61st in sprint and 5.DID YOU KNOW? Maintenance Buthemselvesilding from the field. 48th in the individual event at the 2006 Canada has won just three 5.Bjoerndalen Valley y Games in Turin,but had a 13th in sprint and Olympic biathlon medals, or Bear Valley. Originally seventh- and eighth-place finishes in pursuit d e on the 2008-09 World Cup circuit. all coming from Myriam Be- named after Norwegian icon R y r dard.She won a bronze at Ole Einar Bjoern- t Waste water n u the 1992 Games in dalen,who’s known as 4 o Treatment C Zina Kocher, Red Deer,Alta.