The Biathlon European Championships are the top-european competitions in
biathlon
The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not tim ...
. The first edition was held in 1994, with sprint, pursuit, individual and relay. The number of events has grown significantly over the years.
Participation of non-European competitors
Even though the event is called European Championships, the event is not restricted to European athletes only. The full name of the competition is Open Biathlon European Championships, meaning that biathletes from non-European countries are eligible to participate and their results being recognised. There are three instances in which non-European competitors have won medals.
Lowell Bailey
Lowell Bailey (born July 15, 1981 in Siler City, North Carolina) is an American biathlon coach and retired biathlete who competed from 2001 until 2018.
Career
His first World Cup podium was a 2nd place (following a disqualification) in the seco ...
from the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
became the first non-European to win a medal by winning bronze in the Junior Sprint event in 2001, followed by another bronze in the Junior Pursuit.
Audrey Vaillancourt
Audrey Vaillancourt (born 26 June 1991) is a Canadian former biathlete.
Career
She competed in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 World Cup seasons. She represented Canada at the Biathlon World Championships 2013 in Nové Město na Moravě, Czech Republic ...
of
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
became the first non-European athlete to win gold in the competition, winning the Women's 15 km individual in 2014.
Editions
Medals table
''Updated after 2022 Championships''
References
Sports 123 biathlon results
{{European Championships
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
Biathlon in Europe
European championships
Recurring sporting events established in 1994