The biathlon competitions at the Winter Olympics in Italy – which concluded in Antholz, South Tyrol, in February – were a real spectator magnet during the television broadcasts. The wintry duel between cross-country skiing and rifle shooting is booming, no doubt due to the contrast between the fast-paced running laps and the necessary composure of the two to four shooting rounds per lap, during which viewers also hold their breath and are delighted with every hit. We at all4shooters.com have summarized the most important rules of biathlon in a separate article.
However, one nation dominated not only at the Olympics, but also at other international competitions last season and this year, such as the current IBU World Cup: the biathletes from France were by far the most successful team with their male and female athletes, winning around 66 medals last year. In addition to excellent skiing performance, good physical condition and sometimes tactical approach in the cross-country ski trail (one wrong choice of ski wax can ruin everything), the shots at the five targets 50 meters away are decisive for success or defeat. Depending on the discipline, each miss costs either a small penalty or a complete minute, which is added to the running time.
France relies on the support of RWS, as the German ammunition manufacturer sponsors the best training and competition ammunition. Because even in sub-zero temperatures, the rimfire biathlon cartridges have to deliver their usual precision and also deliver sufficient bullet energy to the target to make the (nowadays electronically activated) targets react. Anyone who has ever had to start with standard rimfire cartridges on open shooting ranges in winter will know that the bullets often fly into the target significantly and audibly slower (naturally, with correspondingly inconsistent accuracy too). The lead bullets, which of course also have match quality in the RWS Biathlon cartridges, weigh 2.6 grams (40 grains), just like the famous RWS R50, but according to the manufacturer they achieve a constant muzzle velocity of 320 m/s - measured at minus 20 degrees Celsius!
Many national biathlon teams have significantly improved their shooting skills in recent years
While shooting in biathlon was practiced almost as an afterthought for decades worldwide, the importance of flawless and quick five-shot series has now been recognized and special shooting coaches have been hired, most of whom come from "normal" shooting sports and therefore know and can train shooting under stressful conditions. In Jean-Pierre Amat, the French have hired a true expert as a coach. He won an Olympic gold and bronze medals in 1996. He was world champion in 1989 and 1998 and European champion in 1989, 1990, 1991 and 2000. Amat has coached the French from time to time, but the 2026 Olympic success was also the end of his current coaching contract – it has not yet been decided who will continue his work as the new shooting coach for France's biathletes.
A little further down in this article you will find a video with an interview with Jean-Pierre Amat, which was recorded during an ammunition test for the national team's biathlon systems at the test shooting range at RWS in Fürth.
Stefan Rumpler, Product Manager at RWS (also) for rimfire ammunition, is a successful sports shooter himself and was therefore able to elicit exciting technical details from Amat during the interview. He comments: "Our RWS biathlon cartridges use a special primer-powder combination to ensure stable performance even in cold temperatures. Furthermore, every batch of biathlon ammunition is also tested with biathlon firearms in a cold chamber at our factory to ensure that only the best leaves our factory. We use our world-famous and tried-and-tested R50 bullet design to guarantee maximum consistency and accuracy." The two types of biathlon ammunition, RWS Biathlon Competition and the cheaper training cartridge RWS Biathlon Special Match, are manufactured on the same machines and with the same strict quality control that is used to produce other RWS rimfire cartridges in the Premium Line.
RWS cartridge info:
RWS Biathlon Competition, the special cold-resistant and precise match cartridge
and an overview of all RWS rimfire cartridges of the Premium Line
These cartridges are available in boxes of 50 as the smallest packaging unit in well-stocked specialist shops.
How does the winter season continue for France's biathletes?
The Olympics were by no means the end - after the publication of this article, for example, there are still two important IBU World Cup events to come: in Otepää, Estonia from 12 to 15 March 2026, and finally in Oslo, Norway, for the World Cup final from 19 to 22 March 2026.
All dates and lots of information about biathlon can be found on the Biathlon World website of the International Biathlon Union IBU.
