“Wait—it’s skiing? Plus shooting…guns?”
If you’ve heard (or asked) some version of this question during the 2026 Winter Olympics, you’ll know that biathlon is one of the most intriguing disciplines in the Games—part cross-country ski race, part target shooting. Some of its charm is undoubtedly due to the fact that it feels kind of unique to the Olympics; most of us aren’t tuning into biathlon races year-round the way we might with, say, hockey.
Biathlon’s origins are centuries old. Early inhabitants of Scandinavia worshipped the Norse god Ullr, who oversaw both skiing (the preferred way of getting around during snowy winters) and hunting. In more recent history, biathlon developed from military training exercises, where regiments, especially in the Norwegian army, would practice “ski warfare” techniques. Over time, the various training exercises were condensed and standardized for civilian competitions, and biathlon debuted at the Winter Olympics in 1960.
So let’s get into a few modern biathlon specifics. Athletes take a lap on cross-country skis using the freestyle (or “skate”) technique. On each lap, they pause for a rifle-shooting test, once standing, and once lying prone. Generally, they’re aiming for five shots, and the number of attempts they get varies by event. If they miss a target, they get some kind of penalty—an extra loop on their skis, or one minute added to their overall time.
In this year’s Games, there are 11 biathlon events for men and women, including individual and relay races, sprints, pursuits, and mass-starts.
Three Olympians out on the loops might have looked familiar to our readers— Minnesota’s Paul Schommer, Luci Anderson, and Margie Freed, all representing our state on the American biathlon team.
Courtesy of Luci Anderson | Instagram
So far, Freed took 21st place in the women’s 15km event, America’s best finish in that race, and was part of a team that took 14th place in the mixed 4x6km relay; Anderson has not finished in the top 20 of her events.
In the Feb. 17 men’s 4×7.5km relay, Paul Schommer was part of the American team that just missed a medal, finishing in fifth place behind France, Norway, Sweden, and Germany. Schommer, 33, is an Appleton, Wisconsin, native who came to Duluth to attend the College of St. Scholastica. As a teen, he was a serious high school wrestler—and came to skiing after a brief introduction to the sport as a sophomore. He skied for the College of St. Scholastica and pursued biathlon full time when he graduated, winning many national and world titles, and representing Team USA at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Photo by Marcus Cyron
Schommer has said this year’s Games will be his last, as he plans to retire from his professional biathlon career upon his return from Italy. He told the Appleton Post Crescent, “Now that I’m kind of going to have a little break after biathlon, I’m kind of hopeful to take advantage of that time and really go see some places that I have always dreamed of seeing, maybe doing some things that I always dreamed of doing that I never really thought I would have an opportunity to do and see what happens.” Back home, Schommer lives full-time in his van and loves cooking, biking, making pancakes, and exploring—all things he’ll have more hours for after wrapping up the 2026 Winter Olympics on a high note, no matter the podium results.
Want to see more of Paul Schommer, Margie Freed, and Luci Anderson? Watch biathlon events through Feb. 21; rosters are often decided just before the race, so check back to see whether our Minnesota biathletes will make another appearance.
