The Biathlon World Championships continues today in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, with the 10km sprint for men. Discover how the race works and who the top contenders for gold are!

The sprint has two shooting stops. First, five shots from the prone position, and after the next lap, five shots from the standing position. In the prone, the target is only 4,5cm (the inner ring), and in the standing, it is 11cm (the whole black).

For every missed shot, you must make a penalty loop. This normally takes 20-25 seconds extra.

Few of the athletes are fast enough to win even with a clean shooting. The best skiers can normally fight for gold with one – at rare times two – penalty loops. This lowers quite a lot the number of athletes able to win the race.

Wind is a big factor, and the athletes can adjust the rifle for wind. In difficult wind conditions we often see some surprise results on the shooting range. But skiing is important here and the conditions for skiing are also crucial. If you don’t have good skis, you can also lose a lot of time.

For some reason, the last shot in the standing tends to be more difficult than the others. This is when the nerves hit you and we have often seen top athletes dropping this shot and having to take one penalty loop.

The men’s sprint has been on the program of the World Championships since 1974. The distance is 10km. Three laps of 3.3km each. The sprint is also important because it gives you the starting order for the pursuit race.

FORMER WORLD CHAMPIONS

• 1974    Juhani Suutarinen, FIN
• 1975    Nikolaj Kruglov, SOV
• 1976    Aleksandr Tikhonov, SOV
• 1977    Aleksandr Tikhonov, SOV
• 1978    Frank Ullrich, DDR
• 1979    Frank Ullrich, DDR
• 1981    Frank Ullrich, DDR
• 1982    Eirik Kvalfoss, NOR
• 1983    Eirik Kvalfoss, NOR
• 1985    Frank-Peter Rötsch, DDR
• 1986    Valerij Medvedtsev, SOV
• 1987    Fran-Peter Rötsch, DDR
• 1989    Frank Luck, DDR
• 1990    Mark Kirchner, DDR
• 1991    Mark Kirchner, GER
• 1993    Mark Kirchner, GER
• 1995    Patrice Bailly-Salins, FRA
• 1996    Vladimir Dratchov, RUS
• 1997    Wilfried Pallhuber, ITA
• 1999    Frank Luck, GER
• 2000    Frode Andresen, NOR
• 2001    Pavel Rostovtsev, RUS
• 2003    Ole Einar Bjørndalen, NOR
• 2007    Ole Einar Bjørndalen, NOR
• 2008    Maxium Tschudov, RUS
• 2009    Ole Einar Bjørndalen, NOR
• 2011    Arnd Peiffer, GER
• 2012    Martin Fourcade, FRA
• 2013    Emil Hegle Svendsen, NOR
• 2015    Johannes Thingnes Bø, NOR
• 2016    Martin Fourcade, FRA
• 2017    Benedikt Doll, GER
• 2019    Johannes Thingnes Bø, NOR
• 2020    Aleksandr Loginov, RUS
• 2021    Martin Ponsiluoma, SWE
• 2023    Johannes Thingnes Bø, NOR
• 2024    Sturla Holm Lægreid, NOR

FAVORITES

1. Johannes Thingnes Bø, NOR

Of course, the best of the best needs to be a favorite. But there are more question marks than normal for Johannes Thingnes Bø. It will be his last World Championships, and he hasn’t been as dominant as before this season. But if he comes to Lenzerheide in normal conditions he will for sure be fighting for the medals.

• Emilien Jacquelin, FRA

It’s always difficult to say where we have Jacquelin. At his best, he can shoot better than anybody and ski faster than most of the guys. But he can also have days where nothing works. With a top race, he can win this.

• Sebastian Samuelsson, SWE

Another biathlete with a speed good enough for fighting for gold. The weak point this Winter has been the shooting. But Samuelsson has shown before that he can sharpen up in championships. So, with 10 out of 10, he is a hard man to beat.

OUTSIDERS

Sturla Holm Lægreid, NOR

The World Cup-leader is maybe the coolest in the range when the heat is at its most. Lægreid is also quick in the track, even though he is normally not the quickest. He has the experience and will not get nervous. But it is an advantage for him when they shoot four times instead of two because normally there are a couple of faster guys on the snow.

Martin Uldal, NOR

Got one chance on the World Cup from the incredible Norwegian IBU Cup Team. Young Uldal grabbed it with both hands and won in Le Grand Bornand. But he is inexperienced at this level and the nerves may hit him. Even though he seems to be a very cool athlete.

Martin Ponsiluoma, SWE

This winter has been the quickest skier on several occasions. And he has won this race before. You can therefore not rule out the Swede, even though his shooting has not done anybody happy this season. But if Ponsiluoma hits 10 out of 10 he is a potential winner.

Tommaso Giacomel, ITA

Suddenly he found his form in the last World Cup-races before the championships. And the Italian is also a fast skier. And he is both a fast and good shooter. A man for the podium if he shows the same form as in his last competitions. But the start of the season also showed that he can miss.

START LIST

The complete start list can be found HERE

Also Read – Biathlon World Championships 2025: Complete program for Lenzerheide

FACTS Lenzerheide Biathlon World Championships Season 2024/2025

• When: Wednesday, February 12 to Sunday, February 23, 2025 
• Who: Elite national biathletes – women and men
• Where: Lenzerheide, Switzerland
• What: IBU World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland

PROGRAM

Wednesday, February 12: Mixed Relay (W+M) (More details can be found HERE)

• 14:30 CET: Mixed Relay, Women+Men

Friday, February 14: 7.5km Sprint W (More details can be found HERE)

• 15:05 CET: 7.5km Sprint, Women

Saturday, February 15: 10km Sprint M (More details can be found HERE)

• 15:05 CET: 10km Sprint, Men

Sunday, February 16: 10km Pursuit W and 12.5km Pursuit M (More details can be found HERE)

• 12:05 CET: 10km Pursuit, Women
• 15:05 CET: 12.5km Pursuit, Men

Tuesday, February 18: 15km Individual W (More details can be found HERE)

• 15:05 CET: 15km Individual, Women

Wednesday, February 19: 20km Individual M (More details can be found HERE)

• 15:05 CET: 20km Individual, Men

Thursday, February 20: Single Mixed Relay (W+M) (More details can be found HERE)

• 16:05 CET: Single Mixed Relay, Woman+Man

Saturday, February 22: 4x6km Relay W and 4×7.5km Relay M (More details can be found HERE)

• 12:05 CET: 4x6km Relay, Women
• 15:05 CET: 4×7.5km Relay, Men

Sunday, February 23: 12.5km Mass Start W and 15km Mass Start M (More details can be found HERE)

• 13:45 CET: 12.5km Mass Start, Women
• 16:05 CET: 15km Mass Start, Men

After the World Championships in Lenzerheide (Switzerland), the biathlon World Cup heads to Nove Mesto Na Morave (Czech Republic) and Pokljuka (Slovenia). Then, the 2024/2025 World Cup season ends in Oslo (Norway).

Also Read: Biathlon World Cup and World Championships: Calendar for the 2024/2025 winter season

Are you interested in biathlon? Click HERE and read more about it.