Biathlon Sprint is over a distance of 10 km with a total height difference of 300 - 450 m. Competitors in this sprint competition are started at 30 seconds or one minute intervals.
The first firing session in 5 rounds prone with an unsupported rifle after approx. 3 km of cross-country. The second session is after about 7 km when 5 rounds are fired from standing position, again with the rifle unsupported.
Competitors fire over a range of 50 m at the same targets as in the individual competition. Each shot must be fed into the chamber from a magazine by a manual action. In contrast to the individual competition for each target they miss the competitors must cover a 150 m handicap loop taking approximately 23 seconds.
The competitor�s time is taken between crossing then starting and finishing lines. Top athletes finish the competition in approx. 24 minutes without having to ski a handicap loop.
The women�s sprint competition covers a distance of 7,5 with firing sessions between km 2,5 and km 5,0 in the sequence prone/standing. In both cases they fire 5 rounds with their unsupported rifles. All other sprint conditions for women are the same as those for men.
The best women sprinters take about 23 minutes to complete the 7,5 km race.
