Biathlon is one of the most popular and spectacular winter sports in the world. Despite the short duration of the biathlon season, thousands of fans gather every year. The essence of biathlon is to combine the ability to shoot with a rifle and ski. There are many areas of biathlon racing, which are held as part of certain competitions among different classes of participants.
What is grazing in biathlon
In the framework of major international competitions, the following types of races are held: individual, sprint, mass start, relay race, as well as the pursuit or pass. The latter is considered a relatively young species and was included in the program of championships and olympiads only in 1996. In order to understand what grazing is, you need to understand the rules, similarities and differences from other types of biathlon.
The pursuit race is inextricably linked to the sprint. Athletes go to the start strictly in the order in which they finished the sprint. The one who won the sprint starts to pass first, the rest - with a delay equal to the results of the sprint competition. In total, the pursuit race lasts about half an hour with sixty starts. That is, athletes will start in the order of places occupied by all participants in the previous qualification race.
Basic rules of the race
Athletes who occupy a high position in previous competitions have the highest chances of winning in this competition. As for the regulations, running at a distance of 10 km involves a female graze, men, in turn, run 12.5 km in a pursuit.
Women shoot after every 2 km traveled, men shoot after 2.5. There are four firing lines at a distance: 2 times from a standing and lying position. At the first two lines, shooting occurs while lying, at the third and fourth - standing. For each miss, a penalty loop is prescribed. The competition is also different in that the riders run in different techniques. At the first stage, athletes ski in the classic style, and at the second - free.
Distinction of Male Pursuit
As already noted, for men in the pursuit their own rules are established, which greatly complicate the strong sex of the competition in comparison with the women's pursuit. They run a greater mileage, and the distance between the firing lines is also greater.
Describing what graze is, it should be noted: this type of biathlon competition generally requires the manifestation of truly masculine qualities. In these competitions it is required not only to shoot perfectly and to run fast - here you need to be quite persistent psychologically. After all, rivals experience the nervous system, each of which has its own tactics in the race. One of them is distinguished by the ability to shoot well, the other tries to bypass the competitor at a distance, and the third, on the contrary, keeps behind his back, trying to unbalance the competitor.
It is believed that masculine herding is particularly tense and spectacular. In men, breakthroughs from the bottom to the top three due to the pursuit race happen much more often than in women.
Pursuit Features
This type of race is fast enough and easily fits into a television broadcast. Real connoisseurs who know what graze is, note that of all the biathlon competitions this race is the most fascinating for the audience. Thanks to constant firing lines, leaders are constantly changing on the sprint track. Moreover, the fans just need to follow the race, since the order of the biathlete after the penalty loop corresponds to his place in the competition.
Shooting in the order established in the pursuit makes the competition even more impressive, because it allows the athlete who stands out by shooting from any one position to show his ability and move to first places. When a biathlete comes to the finish line, this determines his place in the finish protocol. That is, in the pursuit, the key to success is precisely the accuracy and tactical skill of the athletes.
Today it is impossible to imagine such a sport as biathlon without a pursuit race. The male graze, as well as the female, thanks to its entertainment, keeps fans in suspense until the last minute.