The first Biathlon World Championship (BWCH) was held in 1958, with individual (official) and relay (unofficial) contests for men. The number of events has grown significantly over the years. Beginning in 1984, women biathletes had their own World Championships, and finally, from 1989, both genders have been participating in joint BWCHs.
BWCH venues
The season's BWCHs takes place during February or March. Some years it has been necessary to schedule parts of the Championships at other than the main venue because of weather and/or snow conditions. Full, joint BWCHs have never been held in Olympic Winter Games seasons. BWCHs in non-IOC events, however, have been held in Olympic seasons. In 2005, the then new event of Mixed Relay (two legs done by women, two legs by men) was arranged at another time and place than the ordinary Championships.
Arranged Championships:
- 1958 Saalfelden , Austria
- 1959 Courmayer , Italy
- 1961 Umeå, Sweden
- 1962 Hämeenlinna-Tavastehus, Finland
- 1963 Seefeld , Austria
- 1965 Elverum, Norway
- 1966 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, West Germany
- 1967 Altenberg , East Germany
- 1969 Zakopane, Poland
- 1970 Östersund, Sweden
- 1971 Hämeenlinna-Tavastehus, Finland
- 1973 Lake Placid, USA
- 1974 Minsk, USSR
- 1975 Antholz-Anterselva , Italy
- 1976 Antholz-Anterselva , Italy (Sprint)
- 1977 Lillehammer-Vingrom, Norway
- 1978 Hochfilzen, Austria
- 1979 Ruhpolding, West Germany
- 1981 Lahti, Finland
- 1982 Minsk, USSR
- 1983 Antholz-Anterselva , Italy
- 1984 Chamonix, France (Women)
- 1985 Ruhpolding, West Germany (Men) and Egg, Switzerland (Women)
- 1986 Oslo, Norway (Men) and Falun, Sweden (Women)
- 1987 Lake Placid, USA (Men) and Lahti, Finland (Women)
- 1988 Chamonix, France (Women)
- 1989 Feistritz , Austria
- 1990 Minsk, USSR; Oslo, Norway; and Kontiolahti, Finland
- 1991 Lahti, Finland
- 1992 Novosibirsk, Russia (Team)
- 1993 Borovetz , Bulgaria
- 1994 Canmore, Canada (Team)
- 1995 Antholz-Anterselva , Italy
- 1996 Ruhpolding, Germany
- 1997 Brezno-Osrblie , Slovakia
- 1998 Pokljuka , Slovenia (Pursuit) and Hochfilzen, Austria (Team)
- 1999 Kontiolahti, Finland and Oslo, Norway
- 2000 Oslo, Norway and Lahti, Finland
- 2001 Pokljuka , Slovenia
- 2003 Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia
- 2004 Oberhof, Germany
- 2005 Hochfilzen, Austria (ordinary BWCHs) and Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia (Mixed Relay)
Upcoming:
Men
See the List of IOC country codes for expansions of country abbreviations.
Sprint (10 km)
This event was first held in 1974.
| Year |
Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
| 1974 |
Juhani Suutarinen (FIN) |
Günther Bartnick (GDR) |
Torsten Wadman (SWE) |
| 1975 |
Nikolay Kruglov Sr. (URS) |
Alexander Elisarov (URS) |
Klaus Siebert (GDR) |
| 1976 |
Alexander Tikhonov (URS) |
Alexander Elisarov (URS) |
Nikolay Kruglov Sr. (URS) |
| 1977 |
Alexander Tikhonov (URS) |
Nikolay Kruglov Sr. (URS) |
Alexander Ushakov (URS) |
| 1978 |
Frank Ullrich (GDR) |
Eberhard Rösch (GDR) |
Klaus Siebert (GDR) |
| 1979 |
Frank Ullrich (GDR) |
Odd Lirhus (NOR) |
Luigi Weiss (ITA) |
| 1981 |
Frank Ullrich (GDR) |
Erkki Antila (FIN) |
Yvon Mougel (FRA) |
| 1982 |
Eirik Kvalfoss (NOR) |
Frank Ullrich (GDR) |
Vladimir Alikin (URS) |
| 1983 |
Eirik Kvalfoss (NOR) |
Peter Angerer (FRG) |
Alfred Eder (AUT) |
| 1985 |
Frank-Peter Rötsch (GDR) |
Eirik Kvalfoss (NOR) |
Johann Passler (ITA) |
| 1986 |
Valeriy Medvedtsev (URS) |
Peter Angerer (FRG) |
Franz Schuler (AUT) |
| 1987 |
Frank-Peter Rötsch (GDR) |
Matthias Jacob (GDR) |
André Sehmisch (GDR) |
| 1989 |
Frank Luck (FRG) |
Eirik Kvalfoss (NOR) |
Yuri Kashkarov (URS) |
| 1990 |
Mark Kirchner (FRG) |
Eirik Kvalfoss (NOR) |
Sergei Tchepikov (URS) |
| 1991 |
Mark Kirchner (GER) |
Frank Luck (GER) |
Eirik Kvalfoss (NOR) |
| 1993 |
Mark Kirchner (GER) |
Jon Åge Tyldum (NOR) |
Sergei Tarasov (RUS) |
| 1995 |
Patrice Bailly-Salins (FRA) |
Pavel Mouslimov (RUS) |
Ricco Groß (GER) |
| 1996 |
Vladimir Dratchev (RUS) |
Viktor Maigourov (RUS) |
Rene Cattarinussi (ITA) |
| 1997 |
Wilfried Pallhuber (ITA) |
Rene Cattarinussi (ITA) |
Oleg Ryzhenkov (BLR) |
| 1999 |
Frank Luck (GER) |
Patrick Favre (ITA) |
Frode Andresen (NOR) |
| 2000 |
Frode Andresen (NOR) |
Pavel Rostovtsev (RUS) |
Rene Cattarinussi (ITA) |
| 2001 |
Pavel Rostovtsev (RUS) |
Rene Cattarinussi (ITA) |
Halvard Hanevold (NOR) |
| 2003 |
Ole Einar Bjørndalen (NOR) |
Ricco Groß (GER) |
Zdenek Vitek (CZE) |
| 2004 |
Raphaël Poirée (FRA) |
Ricco Groß (GER) |
Ole Einar Bjørndalen (NOR) |
| 2005 |
Ole Einar Bjørndalen (NOR) |
Sven Fischer (GER) |
Ilmars Bricis (LAT) |
Pursuit (12.5 km)
This event was first held in 1997.
Mass start (15 km)
This event was first held in 1999.
Individual (20 km)
This event was first held in 1958.
| Year |
Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
| 1958 |
Adolf Wiklund (SWE) |
Olle Gunneriusson (SWE) |
Viktor Butakov (URS) |
| 1959 |
Vladimir Melanin (URS) |
Dimitri Sokolov (URS) |
Sven Agge (SWE) |
| 1961 |
Kalevi Huuskoen (FIN) |
Alexander Privalov (URS) |
Paavo Repo (FIN) |
| 1962 |
Vladimir Melanin (URS) |
Antti Tyrvainen (FIN) |
Valentin Pshenitsyn (URS) |
| 1963 |
Vladimir Melanin (URS) |
Antti Tyrvainen (FIN) |
Hannu Posti (FIN) |
| 1965 |
Olav Jordet (NOR) |
Nikolai Puzanov (URS) |
Antti Tyrvainen (FIN) |
| 1966 |
Jon Istad (NOR) |
Josef Sobczak (POL) |
Vladimir Gundartsev (URS) |
| 1967 |
Viktor Mamatov (URS) |
Stanislav Szozepaniak (POL) |
Jon Istad (NOR) |
| 1969 |
Alexander Tikhonov (URS) |
Rinnat Safin (URS) |
Magnar Solberg (NOR) |
| 1970 |
Alexander Tikhonov (URS) |
Tor Svendsberget (NOR) |
Viktor Mamatov (URS) |
| 1971 |
Dieter Speer (GDR) |
Alexander Tikhonov (URS) |
Magnar Solberg (NOR) |
| 1973 |
Alexander Tikhonov (URS) |
Gennadiy Kovalev (URS) |
Tor Svendsberget (NOR) |
| 1974 |
Juhani Suutarinen (FIN) |
George Girnitsa (ROM) |
Tor Svendsberget (NOR) |
| 1975 |
Heikki Ikola (FIN) |
Nikolay Kruglov Sr. (URS) |
Esko Saira (FIN) |
| 1977 |
Heikki Ikola (FIN) |
Sigleif Johansen (NOR) |
Alexander Tikhonov (URS) |
| 1978 |
Odd Lirhus (NOR) |
Frank Ullrich (GDR) |
Eberhard Rösch (GDR) |
| 1979 |
Klaus Siebert (GDR) |
Alexander Tikhonov (URS) |
Sigleif Johansen (NOR) |
| 1981 |
Heikki Ikola (FIN) |
Frank Ullrich (GDR) |
Erkki Antila (FIN) |
| 1982 |
Frank Ullrich (GDR) |
Eirik Kvalfoss (NOR) |
Terje Krokstad (NOR) |
| 1983 |
Frank Ullrich (GDR) |
Frank-Peter Rötsch (GDR) |
Peter Angerer (FRG) |
| 1985 |
Frank-Peter Rötsch (GDR) |
Yuri Kashkarov (URS) |
Tapio Pipponen (FIN) |
| 1986 |
Valeriy Medvedtsev (URS) |
André Sehmisch (GDR) |
Alfred Eder (AUT) |
| 1987 |
Frank-Peter Rötsch (GDR) |
Josh Thompson (USA) |
Jan Matous (TCH) |
| 1989 |
Eirik Kvalfoss (NOR) |
Gisle Fenne (NOR) |
Fritz Fischer (FRG) |
| 1990 |
Valeriy Medvedtsev (URS) |
Sergei Tchepikov (URS) |
Anatoliy Zdanovich (URS) |
| 1991 |
Mark Kirchner (GER) |
Alexander Popov (URS) |
Eirik Kvalfoss (NOR) |
| 1993 |
Andreas Zingerle (ITA) |
Sergei Tarasov (RUS) |
Sergei Tchepikov (RUS) |
| 1995 |
Tomasz Sikora (POL) |
Jon Åge Tyldum (NOR) |
Oleg Ryzhenkov (BLR) |
| 1996 |
Sergei Tarasov (RUS) |
Vladimir Dratchev (RUS) |
Vadim Sashurin (BLR) |
| 1997 |
Ricco Groß (GER) |
Oleg Ryzhenkov (BLR) |
Ludwig Gredler (AUT) |
| 1999 |
Sven Fischer (GER) |
Ricco Groß (GER) |
Vadim Sashurin (BLR) |
| 2000 |
Wolfgang Rottmann (AUT) |
Ludwig Gredler (AUT) |
Frank Luck (GER) |
| 2001 |
Paavo Puurunen (FIN) |
Vadim Sashurin (BLR) |
Ilmars Bricis (LAT) |
| 2003 |
Halvard Hanevold (NOR) |
Vesa Hietalahti (FIN) |
Ricco Groß (GER) |
| 2004 |
Raphaël Poirée (FRA) |
Tomasz Sikora (POL) |
Ole Einar Bjørndalen (NOR) |
| 2005 |
Roman Dostal (CZE) |
Michael Greis (GER) |
Ricco Groß (GER) |
Relay (4 × 7.5 km)
This event was first held unofficially in 1958 and officially in 1966. The 1959 to 1965 contests were three legs only.
Team
This event was held from 1989 to 1998.
Women
See the List of IOC country codes for expansions of country abbreviations.
Sprint (7.5 km)
This event was first held in 1984. Through 1988 the distance was 5 km.
| Year |
Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
| 1984 |
Venera Chernychova (URS) |
Sanna Grønlid (NOR) |
Andrea Grossegger (AUT) |
| 1985 |
Sanna Grønlid (NOR) |
Kaya Parve (URS) |
Venera Chernychova (URS) |
| 1986 |
Kaya Parve (URS) |
Nadeshda Belova (URS) |
Eva Korpela (SWE) |
| 1987 |
Elena Golovina (URS) |
Venera Chernychova (URS) |
Anne Elvebakk (NOR) |
| 1988 |
Petra Schaaf (FRG) |
Eva Korpela (SWE) |
Anne Elvebakk (NOR) |
| 1989 |
Anne Elvebakk (NOR) |
Zwetana Krasteva (BUL) |
Natalia Prikostshikova (URS) |
| 1990 |
Anne Elvebakk (NOR) |
Svetlana Davidova (URS) |
Elin Kristiansen (NOR) |
| 1991 |
Grete Ingeborg Nykkelmo (NOR) |
Svetlana Davidova (URS) |
Elena Golovina (URS) |
| 1993 |
Myriam Bédard (CAN) |
Nadeshda Talanova (RUS) |
Elena Belova (RUS) |
| 1995 |
Anne Briand (FRA) |
Uschi Disl (GER) |
Corinne Niogret (FRA) |
| 1996 |
Olga Romasko (RUS) |
Ann Elen Skjelbreid (NOR) |
Magdalena Wallin (SWE)¹ |
| 1997 |
Olga Romasko (RUS) |
Olena Zubrilova (UKR) |
Magdalena Forsberg (SWE)¹ |
| 1999 |
Martina Zellner (GER) |
Magdalena Forsberg (SWE) |
Olena Zubrilova (UKR)² |
| 2000 |
Liv Grete Skjelbreid (NOR)³ |
Katrin Apel (GER) |
Martina Zellner (GER) |
| 2001 |
Kati Wilhelm (GER) |
Uschi Disl (GER) |
Liv Grete Poirée (NOR)³ |
| 2003 |
Sylvie Becaert (FRA) |
Olena Petrova (UKR) |
Katerina Holubcova (CZE) |
| 2004 |
Liv Grete Poirée (NOR)³ |
Anna Bogali (RUS) |
Ivanova (BLR), Glagow (GER) |
| 2005 |
Uschi Disl (GER) |
Olga Zaitseva (RUS) |
Olena Zubrilova (BLR)² |
(¹ Magdalena Wallin married biathlete Henrik Forsberg in 1996)
(² Olena Zubrilova changed her citizenship from Ukrainian to Belarusian in 2002)
(³ Liv Grete Skjelbreid married biathlete Raphaël Poirée in 2000)
Pursuit (10 km)
This event was first held in 1997.
| Year |
Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
| 1997 |
Magdalena Forsberg (SWE) |
Olena Zubrilova (UKR) |
Olga Romasko (RUS) |
| 1998 |
Magdalena Forsberg (SWE) |
Corinne Niogret (FRA) |
Martina Zellner (GER) |
| 1999 |
Olena Zubrilova (UKR) |
Martina Halinarova (SVK) |
Martina Zellner (GER) |
| 2000 |
Magdalena Forsberg (SWE) |
Uschi Disl (GER) |
Florence Baverel-Robert (FRA) |
| 2001 |
Liv Grete Poirée (NOR) |
Corinne Niogret (FRA) |
Magdalena Forsberg (SWE) |
| 2003 |
Bailly (FRA), Glagow (GER) |
- |
Svetlana Ishmouratova (RUS) |
| 2004 |
Liv Grete Poirée (NOR) |
Martina Glagow (GER) |
Anna Bogali (RUS) |
| 2005 |
Uschi Disl (GER) |
Xianying Liu (CHN) |
Olga Zaitseva (RUS) |
Mass start (12.5 km)
This event was first held in 1999.
| Year |
Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
| 1999 |
Olena Zubrilova (UKR) |
Olena Petrova (UKR) |
Magdalena Forsberg (SWE) |
| 2000 |
Liv Grete Poirée (NOR) |
Galina Koukleva (RUS) |
Corinne Niogret (FRA) |
| 2001 |
Magdalena Forsberg (SWE) |
Martina Glagow (GER) |
Liv Grete Poirée (NOR) |
| 2003 |
Albina Akhatova (RUS) |
Svetlana Ishmouratova (RUS) |
Sandrine Bailly (FRA) |
| 2004 |
Liv Grete Poirée (NOR) |
Katrin Apel (GER) |
Sandrine Bailly (FRA) |
| 2005 |
Gro M. Istad-Kristiansen (NOR) |
Anna Carin Olofsson (SWE) |
Olga Pyleva (RUS) |
Individual (15 km)
This event was first held in 1984. Through 1988 the distance was 10 km.
| Year |
Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
| 1984 |
Venera Chernychova (URS) |
Liudmila Zabolotniana (URS) |
Tatiana Brylina (URS) |
| 1985 |
Kaya Parve (URS) |
Sanna Grønlid (NOR) |
Eva Korpela (SWE) |
| 1986 |
Eva Korpela (SWE) |
Siv Bråten (NOR) |
Sanna Grønlid (NOR) |
| 1987 |
Sanna Grønlid (NOR) |
Kaya Parve (URS) |
Tuija Vuoksialo (FIN) |
| 1988 |
Anne Elvebakk (NOR) |
Elin Kristiansen (NOR) |
Venera Chernychova (URS) |
| 1989 |
Petra Schaaf (FRG) |
Anne Elvebakk (NOR) |
Svetlana Davidova (URS) |
| 1990 |
Svetlana Davidova (URS) |
Iva Schkodreva (BUL) |
Petra Schaaf (FRG) |
| 1991 |
Petra Schaaf (GER) |
Grete Ingeborg Nykkelmo (NOR) |
Iva Schkodreva (BUL) |
| 1993 |
Petra Schaaf (GER) |
Myriam Bédard (CAN) |
Svetlana Paramygina (BLR) |
| 1995 |
Corinne Niogret (FRA) |
Uschi Disl (GER) |
Ekaterina Dafovska (BUL) |
| 1996 |
Emmanuelle Claret (FRA) |
Olga Melnik (RUS) |
Olena Petrova (UKR) |
| 1997 |
Magdalena Forsberg (SWE) |
Olena Zubrilova (UKR) |
Ekaterina Dafovska (BUL) |
| 1999 |
Olena Zubrilova (UKR) |
Corinne Niogret (FRA) |
Albina Akhatova (RUS) |
| 2000 |
Corinne Niogret (FRA) |
Shumei Yu (CHN) |
Magdalena Forsberg (SWE) |
| 2001 |
Magdalena Forsberg (SWE) |
Liv Grete Poirée (NOR) |
Olena Zubrilova (UKR)¹ |
| 2003 |
Katerina Holubcova (CZE) |
Olena Zubrilova (BLR)¹ |
Gunn Margit Andreassen (NOR) |
| 2004 |
Olga Pyleva (RUS) |
Albina Akhatova (RUS) |
Olena Petrova (UKR) |
| 2005 |
Andrea Henkel (GER) |
Ribo Sun (CHN) |
Linda Tjørhom (NOR) |
(¹ Olena Zubrilova changed her citizenship from Ukrainian to Belarusian in 2002)
Relay (4 × 7.5 km)
This event was first held in 1984. Through 1991, the event was 3 × 5 km. In 2003, leg distance was set to 6 km.
Team
This event was held from 1989 to 1998.
Mixed
Relay (4 × 6 km)
This event was first held in 2005, at the BWC finals in Khanty-Mansiysk.
See also
External links
