LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) – With the Winter Olympics approaching, Digital Reporter Will Weible is taking you into the world of Cross-Country Skiing. There are a few different cross-country events in the Olympics, ranging in distance from the 1km sprint to the 50km skiathlon. In addition to these cross-country races, there are two other sports which include cross-country skiing as part of their discipline. One of those sports is the Nordic Combined, which is a combination of ski jumping and cross-country skiing. Competitors in the Nordic Combined do a ski jump and the distance of their jump determines the handicap for their starting position in the cross-country race.
The other sport is the Biathlon, which is a combination of cross-country skiing and rifle target shooting. Competitors carry a .22-caliber rifle on their back throughout the race and stop intermittently to shoot at targets. Competitors shoot at five targets from a distance of 50 meters and shoot from two positions: standing and lying prone. For every target they miss, competitors must ski a penalty lap, which increases the overall distance they have to ski. The Biathlon is an exciting combination of power, precision and endurance. It is also the only Winter Olympic sport the United States has never medaled in.
The United States has 10 skiers competing in the Biathlon, 20 skiers competing in Cross-Country Skiing and five skiers competing in the Nordic Combined:
Biathlon
Emily Dreissigacker
Susan Dunklee
Care Egan
Maddie Phaneuf
Joanne Reid
Lowell Bailey
Tim Burke
Russell Currier
Sean Doherty
Leif Nordgren
Cross-Country Skiing
Sadie Bjornsen
Rosie Brennan
Sophie Caldwell
Jessie Diggins
Rosie Frankowski
Annie Hart
Kaitlynn Miller
Caitlin Patterson
Kikkan Randall
Ida Sargent
Liz Stephen
Erik Bjornsen
Patrick Caldwell
Simi Hamilton
Logan Hanneman
Reese Hanneman
Noah Hoffman
Tyler Kornfield
Andy Newell
Scott Patterson
Nordic Combined
Ben Berend
Bryan Fletcher
Taylor Fletcher
Jasper Good
Ben Loomis
