Other forms: biathlons
If you're crazy about cross-country skiing and a whiz at target shooting, the biathlon might be the perfect sport for you. It's a ski race in which participants pause to take shots with a rifle.
The biathlon is a modern version of an 18th-century Norwegian military exercise. It was included in the Olympics during the 1920s and became a permanent part of the Winter Games in 1955. During each round of competition, athletes fire at five targets; for every one they miss, they have to ski a longer distance. Sometimes this word is used more generally to describe any sporting contest with two events. Biathlon comes from bi-, "two," and the Greek athlon, "contest."