International Biathlon Returns to Lake Placid

Top athletes compete in IBU Cup

By Maddie Phaneuf

In almost every sport there are multiple levels of competition – from casual backyard picnic games all the way up to the height of Olympic-level competition. Lake Placid last hosted the highest level of international biathlon competition, the World Cup, in 2004. This winter the new and improved ORDA facilities at Mt Van Hoevenberg will welcome international biathletes who compete on the IBU Cup level at the end of February. 

IBU Cup competition is just one small step below the World Cup and it features fantastic biathletes who are vying to make it onto their country’s World Cup team. Whether you’ve watched biathlon live and in person or via streaming or haven’t any idea about the unique challenges contained within this skiing and shooting competition – there’s nothing quite like witnessing world class athletes compete in, what many claim is, winter’s most exciting sport.

Biathlon 101 – Biathlon is a Winter Olympic sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle marksmanship. Athletes compete by skiing a lap while carrying .22 long rifles on their backs, making a stop at the shooting range to take aim at five targets, and then head back on course. There are many different formats of biathlon racing, with the most common being the Sprint, where athletes ski a total of three laps with two shooting bouts. 

If you’ve ever been to Mt Van Hoevenberg’s stadium, it’s likely you’ve seen the biathlon range. The range is made up of 30 shooting points with targets being the standard 50 meters down range. Missing a target during a shooting bout is never a good idea. Depending upon the specific format for the race a missed target could result in the athlete skiing an extra distance in the 150-meter penalty loop, an added time penalty, or the athlete may be afforded the opportunity use extra hand loaded bullets to hit the missed target(s), which of course, takes additional time and extraordinary athlete composure. Most race formats make use of the penalty loop. However, Individual and Short Individual formats feature an automatic time being added to athlete results for each missed target, and Relay events utilize the availability of extra rounds. 

Regardless of the race format, there are always at least two shooting stages that will feature the athlete shooting from a prone position and from a standing position. Prone is where the athlete lies down and shoots at five small targets that are 45mm in diameter. The Prone position allows the athlete to use their elbows, hips, a sling and a cuff that connects the rifle to their arm for added stability. The Standing position challenges the athlete to shoot at five targets 115mm in diameter, using only their arms and hips to stabilize the rifle. Remember, the targets are always 50 meters away and biathlon rifles don’t have scopes on them, just simple iron sights! It’s also important to note that athletes are trying to shoot as quickly as they can, with top athletes hitting all five targets in either position in under 30 seconds.

Of course, Mother Nature reserves her role in things – as wind gusts will often create havoc on the shooting range. Before each competition, athletes spend time zeroing in their rifles. This is when they shoot at paper targets while their coach scopes the shots. Athletes strive to hit the center of the target while keeping track of what the wind is doing down range. The Lake Placid venue offers a particularly tricky wind, where it may blow from the left to the right and then suddenly switch to the opposite direction. When you’re at the venue on race day, make sure you look down range at the wind flags. These are little red flags placed throughout the range, to see how the wind is behaving, or misbehaving. The best biathletes learn how to deal with fickle winds, sometimes adopting a ‘wait for the right moment’ approach, sometimes by readjusting their sights to accommodate changing conditions. 

Overall, biathlon is one of those sports where it’s almost impossible to guess who will win the race. Fast ski speed is important but skiing alone doesn’t guarantee a top biathlon result. Fast and accurate shooting is also important, but again, is not by itself a guarantee of victory. This is what makes it exciting as a spectator, you never know if a top athlete might miss a critical target that sets them back, or an underdog has the race of their life and lands on the podium. There’s a reason that biathlon is the most watched winter sport in Europe. Imagine the crowds and viewership that the Super Bowl gets here in the USA, that’s what every weekend of World Cup biathlon racing enjoys over in Europe.

Who To Watch – So, who should you keep an eye on during the upcoming events? US Biathlon has developed a strong team and will feature six athletes per gender at this IBU Cup competition. The official roster hasn’t been named yet, but athletes like 2026 USA Olympian Luci Anderson of Golden Valley, Minn., Vasek Cervenka of Grand Rapids, Minn., Chloe Levins of Rutland, VT, and USA Olympian Joanne Reid of Grand Junction, Colo. have all landed in the top-10 on the IBU Cup this season. Other US athletes to look out for include Jake Brown of Saint Paul, Minn., Vincent Bonacci of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Bjorn Westervelt of Stowe, VT – all of whom have landed in the top-20 at races this season.

As for the rest of the field, France has been dominant on both the Men’s and Women’s side this season, with athletes Paula Botet and Antonin Guigonnat, both from France, near the top of the IBU Cup Total Scores. Other top teams include Sweden, Norway, Germany, and Italy – all with strong athletes to keep an eye on. Another exciting thing that will happen during the IBU Cup events here in Lake Placid is that they will award the IBU Cup Crystal Globes following the final races, presented to the season’s Overall Male and Female competitors.

Volunteer and Spectate – Now that you’re a bit more familiar with biathlon, who to watch, and what to expect, I’d encourage you to come out and watch the action! Check out the race schedule below and online for details: mtvanhoevenberg.com/ibu-cup. For more information, visit: biathlonresults.com. If you’re interested in volunteering, we are always in need of helpful hands on deck, please sign up online: orda.org/volunteer. See you out on the trails!

IBU Cup Race Schedule – Mt Van Hoevenberg, Lake Placid. Thursday, Feb. 26: 10:30am, Men 15K Short Individual and 2:20pm, Women 12.5K Short Individual. Saturday, Feb. 28: 10:45am, Men 10K Sprint and 2:30pm, Women 7.5K Sprint. Sunday, March 1: 10:45am, Men 12.5K Pursuit* and 1:30pm, Women 10K Pursuit.* Wednesday, March 4: 10:45am, Mixed Relay* and 2pm, Single Mixed Relay.* Friday, March 6: 10:45am, Women 7.5K Sprint and 2:15pm, Men 10K Sprint. Saturday, March 7: 10:45am, Women 12K Mass Start 60* and 1:30 PM, Men 15K Mass Start 60.* 

Notes: In the Mass Start 60, the top 60 athletes compete in a direct-head-to-head, high-intensity race. If you can’t make it out to all of the races, the ones with an asterisk next to them are my recommended events to watch, as they are the most spectator friendly!

A former US Biathlon National Team member and 2018 Winter Olympian, Maddie Phaneuf (madphaneuf@gmail.com) now coaches and leads the biathlon programs with the New York Ski Educational Foundation. She also serves as an Athlete Representative on US Biathlon’s International Competition Committee.