Meaning & use
biathlon
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A winter sport in which athletes ski cross-country and shoot rifles at targets.
Grammar: Countable; can be used in the plural for multiple events or types.
Patterns
- compete in a biathlon
- win a biathlon
- the biathlon event
She won a gold medal in the biathlon at the Winter Olympics.
The biathlon combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.
He trains for the biathlon by skiing and practicing at the shooting range.
Word forms
| plural | biathlons |
|---|
Common combinations
- biathlon competition
- The biathlon competition was held in the mountains.
- biathlon race
- He finished second in the biathlon race.
- biathlon relay
- The biathlon relay is a team event.
- biathlon world championships
- The biathlon world championships take place every year.
Word family
- biathlete noun
- A person who competes in a biathlon.
Commonly confused: biathlon or duathlon? biathlon or triathlon?
biathlon vs duathlon
A duathlon involves running and cycling, not skiing and shooting.
biathlon vs triathlon
A triathlon involves swimming, cycling, and running.
Practice
In a biathlon, athletes combine cross-country skiing with what?
Choose one answer.
A biathlon combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Swimming and cycling are part of a triathlon, and running is part of a duathlon.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “biathlon”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.