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Biathletes Taking it to the Limit
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Steady aim is just as important as physical
conditioning in the biathlon. |
At the three winter Olympics held since German reunification, the Federal
Republic's exalted national biathlon team has captured 18 medals - six
of them gold. This high-caliber squad has every intention of adding to
its collection this year in Salt Lake City - although the hurdles to doing
so are higher than ever.
Grueling Test
Soldier Hollow, the sprawling site at the eastern edge of the Wasatch
Mountain Range where the Olympic biathlon events will be staged this year,
is perched at an elevation of some 1,800 meters. The thin air at that
altitude adds another layer of complexity to the calculations biathletes
must make during their pre-games training and at the events themselves.
Biathlon is an uncommonly demanding, dual-discipline sport. World-class
competitors can cover up to 20 kilometers of snow-packed trail and shoot
as many as 20 targets in roughly 20 minutes.
Biathletes push themselves to the limit during the race, their hearts
pounding at more than 180 beats per minute. When they stop to shoot, however,
they must steady their bodies to shoot accurately at a coin-sized target
from a distance of 50 meters. If they miss targets, they are penalized
with added time or more skiing. There are three biathlon event categories
for men and women: 15-kilometer individual, 7.5-kilometer sprint and relay
races.
On Their Marks
Norbert Baier, the technical trainer of the German national team, says
his team faces tough competition. "The number of world-class athletes
and countries that could win medals [at Salt Lake City] has grown markedly
in the last four years," he says. Still, the team would be satisfied with
a modest four medals - "two for the men and two for the women," according
to Baier.
There is ample historical foundation for these high hopes. The German
relay team is the three-time Olympic gold defending champion. The leading
German female biathlete, Uschi Disl, has more Olympic medals than any
other competitor in the sport - male or female. Medal-winning brothers-in-law
Sven Fischer and Frank Luck anchor the men's team in both strength and
spirit. Says Fischer, "You don't need four stars? It is very important
to fight all together at once." Four years ago in Nagano, they did just
that. The men had little success in individual events, but pulled together
in the relay to capture the gold. This year, experience may become more
of a burden as the veterans on this year's team - Fischer, Luck, Peter
Sendel and Ricco Gross - are all past the age of 30 and will be trying
to fend off younger challengers.
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Brothers-in-law Sven Fischer and Frank Luck anchor
the men's team.
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No such troubles for the bubbly Uschi Disl, 31, though. This shooting star
was born in Bad T?z just south of Munich, where she grew up in a skier's
paradise. She began cross-country skiing at 10 but at 16 switched to biathlon
because the skating style of skiing favored in biathlon suited her best.
She came to national attention in 1991 when she took her first World Championship
in Finland and has never looked back. Since the women's biathlon made its
debut in 1992, Disl has taken home at least one medal from every winter
Olympics. This makes a total of six - more than any other biathlete, male
or female. Disl is in outstanding shape going into Salt Lake City, recently
having won the 2001 World Championship and the Olympic test event at Soldier
Hollow.
The Germans' exceptional success in this odd pairing of snow sport and target
shooting is, some say, attributable to the support biathletes receive from
Army programs that encourage talented young athletes to train full time
under the aegis of the national defense program. Top physical fitness and
faultless marksmanship are both part of that game, too.
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