[ROAD TO BEIJING] Biathlon

Timofei Lapshin competes in the 12.5-kilometer men's pursuit at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. [YONHAP]

Biathlon is an Olympic sport that requires two completely different skills, as it combines cross-country skiing and shooting.

Biathletes have to ski to the shooting range as fast as they can, then shoot at small targets 50 meters away while trying not to be affected by their racing heartbeat.

Three biathletes will represent Korea in the men’s and women’s biathlon events, with Russian-born Korean Timofei Lapshin competing in the men’s event and Russian-born Korean Katerina Avvakumova representing Korea in the women’s events alongside Kim Seun-su.

Lapshin and Avvakumova both competed at the 2018 PyeongChang Games after being naturalized in 2017. Lapshin finished 16th at the PyeongChang Games, marking Korea’s best-ever biathlon result.

BY YUN SO-HYANG AND JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]