BIAPER – Biathlon Performance

Biathlon is a unique winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting, where performance is determined by skiing speed, shooting accuracy, and shooting speed. Consequently, a wide range of variables influence and determine the final result. The BIAPER project aims to clarify how skiing speed and shooting performance affect the overall outcome in different competition formats, as well as whether and how they are linked to various physiological and biomechanical factors.

Publications

Brandts, M. M. E. , Björklund, G. , Kårström, M. J. , Laaksonen, M. S. & Staunton, C. A. (2026). The impact of rifle carriage on lower body angular kinematics in on-snow biathlon skiing. Sport Sciences for Health, vol. 22: 2

Staunton, C. A. , Kårström, A. , Kock, H. , Laaksonen, M. S. & Björklund, G. (2025). Kernel Density Estimation : a novel tool for visualising training intensity distribution in biathlon. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, vol. 7   

Laaksonen, M. S. & Björklund, G. (2025). Performance indicators in women’s and men’s biathlon relay. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, vol. 17: 1     

Kock, H. , Wick, J. , Gronwald, T. , Laaksonen, M. & Hanstock, H. (2025). The Making of a Biathlete : Insights From 2 Decades of Training Data From Junior, World, and Olympic Champions. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, vol. 20: 8, ss. 1135-1144.   

Staunton, C. A. , Jonsson Kårström, M. , Björklund, G. & Laaksonen, M. S. (2024). Performance and Micro‑Pacing Strategies in Biathlon Skiing. Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise, vol. 6: 4, ss. 324-331.   

Staunton, C. A. , Andersson, E. P. , Björklund, G. & Laaksonen, M. (2023). Heart Rate–Blood Lactate Profiling in World-Class Biathletes During Cross-Country Skiing : The Difference Between Laboratory and Field Tests. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, vol. 18: 7, ss. 780-785.   

Jones, T. W. , Lindblom, H. P. , Laaksonen, M. & McGawley, K. (2023). Using Multivariate Data Analysis to Project Performance in Biathletes and Cross-Country Skiers. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, vol. 18: 8, ss. 840-851.   

Björklund, G. , Dzhilkibaeva, N. , Gallagher, C. & Laaksonen, M. (2022). The balancing act between skiing and shooting – the determinants of success in biathlon pursuit and mass start events. Journal of Sports Sciences, vol. 40: 1, ss. 96-103.     

Björklund, G. & Laaksonen, M. (2022). The Determinants of Performance in Biathlon World Cup Sprint and Individual Competitions. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, vol. 4: March, ss. 1-9.   

Laaksonen, M. , Andersson, E. , Jonsson Kårström, M. , Lindblom, H. & McGawley, K. (2020). Laboratory-Based Factors Predicting Skiing Performance in Female and Male Biathletes. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, vol. 2    

Dzhilkibaeva, N. , Ahrens, M. & Laaksonen, M. (2019). Can performance in biathlon world cup be predicted by performance analysis of biathlon IBU cup?. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, vol. 19: 5, ss. 856-865.     

Laaksonen, M. , Finkenzeller, T. , Holmberg, H. & Sattlecker, G. (2018). The influence of physiobiomechanical parameters, technical aspects of shooting, and psychophysiological factors on biathlon performance: A review. Journal of Sport and Health Science, vol. 7: 4, ss. 394-404.     

Laaksonen, M. , Jonsson, M. & Holmberg, H. (2018). The Olympic biathlon – Recent advances and perspectives after Pyeongchang. Frontiers in Physiology, vol. 9: JUL