Скачать или смотреть Why Biathlon Is the Hardest Winter Olympics Sport | Team USA Athlete interview

American biathlete Chloe Levins explains why biathlon is one of the most demanding and unpredictable sports at the Winter Olympics. The sport combines precision shooting and Nordic skiing—two completely opposite skill sets that create a unique juxtaposition. Athletes must balance the cerebral aspect of shooting with high-intensity endurance Nordic skiing where you're at absolute maximum capacity. Your heart is beating out of your chest, lactic acid is flooding your legs, and then you have to calm it all down and hit a target 50 meters away the size of a golf ball.

According to Chloe, biathlon is a complete puzzle where athletes constantly try little ways to get better—fine-tuning the transition between skiing and shooting, mastering prone versus standing shooting positions. The variables are what make the sport so exciting, because there are so many different potential champions. On any given day, 50 people out of 100 could finish in the top 10 because of how shooting adds a totally new variable to Nordic skiing. Managing your emotions is absolutely part of the sport—it's what separates good performances from great ones in this uniquely challenging winter discipline.

FULL INTERVIEW:    • Why Golf & Biathlon Are Actually The Same ...  

0:00 - Two opposite skill sets combined
0:47 - Variables make it anyone's day
1:07 - Managing emotions is part of the sport