Skiathlon - what is it? What are the rules of a skiathlon?

Surely, many of you have already encountered a mention of this type of skiing, like skiathlon. "What is it?" - you want to find out and, of course, understand the rules of the competition. Well, let's try to get to know them better, especially since the skiathlon is very spectacular, very intense and interesting competitions.

How did the skiathlon

Skiathlon is a sport that, despite its modern name, is not new. The ski pursuit race that existed since 1924 acquired a modern format, called pasyutom. And in June 2011, it was renamed the decision of the FIS Council in Ljubljana, so that it was convenient to distinguish the competition data from the race-related pursuit races with the handicap.

Skiathlon is included in the program of the Winter Olympic Games, as well as in the Scandinavian World Ski Championships FIS.

What is a skiathlon?

Skiathlon, previously called, as already mentioned, a pasyut or duathlon, refers to the pursuit race, as it consists of two stages. And the position of the athletes at the start of the second part of the race is determined by what results he was shown in the previous part of the race.

Unlike races with a handicap, where the time of the leader of races is taken away from the time of each skier and in the second round he is released after the leader through this interval, in the skiathlon the one who quickly arrived to replace the skis starts and has time to change shoes.

In the first race skiers run the so-called classical style, and in the second - skating.

Between the races in the skiathlon there is no break. Athletes after passing the first part of the race in the same style (classic) arrive in a specially equipped area where they change skis and immediately go to overcome the second part, this time with a freestyle.

The final result in the described pursuit race is equal to the finish time of each skier.

Women in the skiathlon, as a rule, pass at a time distance of 7.5 km, and men - 15 km.

What is the classic style in the ski race

As you already understood, races in each stage of the competition are held by different methods of skiing.

Let's see, the classic style in the race skiathlon - what is it? They are in skiing called the movement of athletes on a pre-prepared ski track (two specially rolled parallel tracks).

In this style of skiing, the hands are the main "driving force", as it is impossible to make a stop on the cross-country ski - it is convenient only for slipping. The athlete's skis at the run are forward, and the legs involuntarily turn out to be more passive than the hands.

The classical style is divided into different ways of walking, depending on how the skier is repelled by sticks and how many steps it takes in one cycle. Alternating or simultaneous repulsion by sticks is combined with a two-step and single-stroke course, depending on the type and terrain.

Free running style in the race skiathlon - what is it?

By free style it is meant that the skier chooses any convenient way of movement. But due to the fact that the ridge style is the fastest, they are used most often - under the free style, as a rule, they have in mind just a ridge move.

During the ridge course, the hands and feet of the athlete are involved. And the skier at the same time moves, pushing off with his foot turned at an angle, from the track, which outwardly resembles the usual run on skates (hence, the name of this style appeared).

Incidentally, this method of skiing was first demonstrated in 1981 by Finn Pauli Siitonen. And at the time of the competition he was already over 40, but he (thanks largely to the new style) won in the race for 55 km. Like this!

The most common in the free style are the simultaneous single-step and simultaneous two-ridge ridge move.

What is common to all pursuit races

Persecution in all sports has similar general rules. These include, first of all, that such competitions are held in several stages and between them, in most cases a break is made. More often they spend two days, less often the interval is several hours. Athletes in each next stage (and in biathlon, for example, and in the first race), take at the start position depending on the previously shown results, that is, the strongest starts first.

A ski skiathlon is held without interruption, including during the race and the time required to change skis.

In all races of pursuit, the equal results of two athletes at the finish are not allowed. If it is impossible to determine during the timing, which of the participants came first, this is done using a photo finish.

By the way, the only precedent for awarding medals with one dignity was the gold medal in biathlon at the World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk (2003), divided between the Frenchwoman Sandrine Bailly and the German Martine Glagov. In this situation, the shutter of the photo finish camera was closed by the body of the first skiers present at the time of the finish, so it was not possible to establish the winner unequivocally.

Features of the skiathlon

Skiathlon is a race that is particularly serious and difficult. Skiers here not only meet the speedy overcoming of the track, but they still need to have time to change in special ski boxes, remembering the precious seconds, because the stopwatch does not stop at that time.

Men, as already mentioned, run twice for 15 km in a circle with a length of 3.75 km. At the same time, they have a total distance of 30 km. And women - 7.5 km in a circle of 2.5 km, and their total distance is a total length of 15 km.

The track for skiers in this race, as a rule, is laid so that it several times passed through the stadium.

Skiathlon: Sochi-2014

In the Olympic Sochi, skiing competitions were held on the ski and biathlon complex "Laura", and they made a strong impression on the composition of the participants. There were also Olympic champions, winners of the World Cup, and world champions. But the leaders were the old favorites of ski races - national teams of Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

So, for example, 68 athletes from thirty different countries took part in the skiathlon race (men).

The strongest in this case was the Swiss Dario Cologne, who became, thus, a two-time Olympic champion. The silver medal went to Marcus Helner, the Swede, and the bronze to the Norwegian Martin Jonsrud Sundby.

Competitions in the skiathlon

To better understand the skiathlon - what it is, be sure to watch the competition. After all, this kind of sport makes high demands on athletes' ability to be universal. It's not a secret that every skier prefers one style of ski walking. Someone is impressed by the classic, but someone feels particularly confident during the ridge run.

The need for universality makes every Skiathlon competition especially stressful and spectacular. So, in the Olympic Sochi and gold, and bronze medals went to Norwegians: Marit Bjorgen and Heidi Weng - and the silver medalist was a skier from Sweden Charlotte Kalle. And at the World Championships held in Falun (2015), unbeaten earlier Björgen was already on the sidelines, while first place was taken by her team-mate, Norwegian Teresa Johaug.

Skiathlon is a race that is worthy of attention and will never let the fans get bored!