The United States won medals in every Winter Olympics event except biathlon, a sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Can U.S. biathletes end their 66-year hiatus at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina, Milan?
Campbell Wright gives Team USA its best chance at a biathlon podium finish. The 23-year-old represented New Zealand at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, but the dual-citizen switched to representing the United States, the country of his parents’ birth, in 2023 and won two silver medals at the 2025 World Championships.
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When did biathlon become a Winter Olympic sport?
Although biathlon made its official debut at the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics, military patrols are the direct precursor to biathlon, dating back to the first Chamonix Winter Olympics in 1924. Military patrol was included as a demonstration event at the 1928, 1936 and 1948 Winter Olympics, followed by the first men’s 20km biathlon event in 1960. The women’s event debuted at the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics, while the mixed relay was added at the 2014 Sochi Games.
How does Olympic biathlon work?
Athletes strap rifles to their backs and ski laps on a cross-country track. After each lap, the skier reaches the shooting area and shoots five times at the target from a standing or prone position. Missing a goal will result in a penalty: either a circle around the penalty circle or an additional minute added to the total time. The winner is determined by the first person to cross the finish line or the best overall time, depending on the event.
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There are 11 events in biathlon in the Olympic Games. Both men and women have their own events, including a mixed relay:
men
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20km individual race
female
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15km individual race
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12.5km group departure
mix
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4x6km mixed relay: two men and two women
America’s top team athletes
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Campbell Wright: The 23-year-old represented New Zealand at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics before joining Team USA in October 2023. Wright won back-to-back silver medals in the sprint and pursuit events, becoming the first American athlete to win two medals at a single world championships. He is the first American to win a world championship medal since Susan Dunklee in 2020 and the first American male to win a gold medal since Lowell Bailey in 2017.
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Deidra Owen: The 33-year-old hopes to improve on her seventh-place finish in the 2022 women’s 15-kilometer individual race in Beijing, which would have been the best finish by a U.S. biathlete at the Olympics.
International pattern
France dominated the 2025 Biathlon World Championships, winning six gold medals and leading all countries with a total of 13 medals, followed by Norway with nine medals, Germany with five and Sweden with four.
French Quentin Fillon Mellet After winning biathlon gold (individual, pursuit) and three silver medals (sprint, relay and mixed relay) in Beijing in 2022, France became the first athlete to win five medals at a single Winter Games. Julia Simon Won a silver medal in the mixed relay at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and won four gold medals (individual, relay, mixed relay and single mixed relay) at the 2025 World Championships.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biathlon Milan Cortina 2026: How it works, American stars to watch