On Sunday afternoon, in the heart of Munich’s Olympic Park and in front of nearly 20,000 spectators, the world’s best biathletes will battle it out in the very first super sprint of the new Loop One Festival. Everyone will be eager to make history in this brand-new event.
The Loop One Festival, set to remain in Munich for at least three years, was created to bring biathlon into the spotlight in October and attract new audiences to the sport. The festive, action-packed day will start at noon with qualification rounds.
Race format
There will be four qualification heats, each featuring 15 athletes. Competitors will ski three loops of 1.8 km around the lake, with two shooting bouts — one prone and one standing. No spare rounds will be allowed, and each missed target means a 60-meter penalty loop.
The heats are balanced according to the World Cup ranking: athletes ranked 1–4 and 5–8 are spread across the four starts to avoid early head-to-head clashes. Another strict rule: a maximum of two athletes per nation in the same heat.
Finals with four shootings
The top three from each heat will qualify for the final, along with the three fastest “lucky losers.” In total, there will be 15 finalists for both men and women.
The final consists of five loops of 1.8 km and four shootings (prone, prone, standing, standing), with a 60-meter penalty loop for each missed shot. Precision will be crucial before the final lap ignites the crowd.
France will be represented by Quentin Fillon Maillet, Eric Perrot, Emilien Jacquelin, Fabien Claude, Julia Simon, Oceane Michelon, Jeanne Richard, and Lou Jeanmonnot.
The Swedish team, however, has decided not to send its main squad — most of the athletes competing in Munich will be from the reserve lineup.
