The Youth Winter Olympic Games have brought me to Lillehammer
and to the biathlon range.
Now I can remember watching the Winter Olympics when I was a kid
and I never really understood biathlon.
It seemed so arbitrary. You ski somewhere,
then you shoot at some targets, and then you ski again.
It felt like a really weird combination of events.
But there is a reason for it.
Because yes, the biathlon is a ski race,
but it's based, many many years ago, on military training.
You know how target shooters say it's all about controlling your body,
it's all about keeping your breathing regulated?
Well, try keeping your breathing regulated right after a cross-country skiing race.
GEIR OLE STEINSLETT: When they come into the shooting range
they start breathing good, they're checking the wind flags
because the wind is affecting the bullet very much.
They take out their rifle in the right position,
they have to put in a magazine with five shots,
and it's a half-kilogram weight you have to put on the trigger.
Then you do this five times, and then your rifle on your back,
and then you start skiing as fast as possible again!
TS: So I'm not much of an athlete,
I can just about do a 5K, my resting heart rate's okay, but...
I'm not much compared to these guys.
They'll get their resting heart rate as low as possible, as quickly as possible,
using all sorts of techniques...
I'm not sure I'm going to be quite so good at it(!)
GOS: He should be happy if he gets one hit!
TS: Teach me to shoot a biathlon rifle!
GOS: Lie down. And this in your shoulder.
TS: In my shoulder. Yep. Take that back.
GOS: And you can then... it's ready!
TS: It's ready. Loaded gun.
GOS: Now it's a 'bang'. Loaded gun.
TS: Okay. So... aim at number 12...
Well, I missed.
GOS: Miss! Reloading, back and forward.
You hit the metal.
TS: I hit the metal.
GOS: Oh, it's a hit!
TS: Ha! Okay, that's, er...
One out of five, all right.
So now I would get up and go skiing.
I can't ski.
So what's actually going to happen:
is I'm going to get up, and I'm going to go for a run.
Okay. [panting]
That's so difficult!
I didn't think that would have...
such a great effect.
But I'm genuinely...
...having to time my breathing.
I didn't even hit the metal on that last one! Wow.
I genuinely didn't expect that to be quite as difficult as it was.
I knew there'd be an effect, I knew breathing made a difference
but it was like I was lying down and the target was on a boat
bouncing up and down in front of me.
And you're just willing yourself, just
stop breathing just for a minute so I can calm down.
It just doesn't work.
That's a heck of a sport.
There's a load more videos over on the Olympics channel
and on my channel, go check 'em out, go subscribe
and thank you to the Youth Winter Olympic Games
for bringing me out here to Lillehammer.
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