Biathlon, which combines rifle shooting and cross-country skiing, developed out of Scandinavian military training exercises. Three members of the U.S. biathlon team are with the Vermont National Guard: Staff Sgt.

Olympic biathletes shoot at targets using .22-caliber rifles while racing on cross-country skis. Here’s a closer look at the combined sporting event. (Photo: AP)

Discover biathlon at Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, where cross-country skiing meets rifle shooting in this accessible Olympic sport.

The sport of biathlon, which combines cross-country skiing and precision target shooting, requires hundreds of hours of training annually and the ability to push your body to the maximum effort for an athlete to have a chance of success at the Olympics.

Biathlon combines two sports – cross-country skiing and shooting – into one race. The biathlon first made its debut 66 years ago in the 1960 Winter Olympics at the renamed Palisades Tahoe in Olympic Valley near Lake Tahoe. This year, the Winter Olympic biathlon games will be held in Antholz (Anterselva), Italy.

Way back in 1928, "skijoring" was one of two demonstration sports to be showcased at the St. Moritz Winter Olympics. The sport still lives today as hoards gather and hooves fly every March in Colorado for the foremost demonstration of skijoring in North America.

The world’s best marksmen and markswomen are setting their sights on gold in Paris. The 2024 Olympics will feature 15 shooting events. From rifles and pistols to shotguns, there is plenty of equipment involved across the sport. Shooting made its Olympic ...

The upcoming Olympic program includes races with distances ranging from six kilometers to 20 kilometers per person.