গেজেট হলেই শপথ : সালাহউদ্দিন আহমদ
· Kaler Kantho
ANTHOLZ-ANTERSELVA, Italy — Figure skating is fine — if you're AARP-eligible. Curling was cool for a hot minute a decade ago. Even the shredder kids have gone corporate. If you're looking for a wacky-but-edgy cool Winter Olympic event to fall in love with, biathlon is where it's at.
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The mash-up of cross-country skiing and shooting is wildly popular among Europeans — and everyone knows they have great taste — and is at arguably the most beautiful venue at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. You'd be hard-pressed to find athletes who exert themselves more, and it has the most, ummm, colorful characters at these Games.
"I would say we're pretty high up, especially with the headlines we've had this Olympics. It's been a bit outrageous, huh?" Campbell Wright, the top American, said after finishing 12th in the 10km spring on Friday, Feb. 13.
"I think biathlon is the most beautiful sport in the Winter Olympics. I think it's bloody awesome," Wright added. "It's so painful sometimes and so tough, but I love it."
Biathlon doesn't get a lot of attention in the United States, even during the Olympics, because Americans like bright, shiny things and biathlon is still without one of 'em. With the exception of the new events at Milano Cortina, it's the one Winter Olympic sport where the United States has never won a medal.
That's right. Ever. We've won medals in skeleton, Big Air, curling. We've even won a medal in Nordic combined, for heaven's sake. But biathlon continues to elude the U.S. and that alone is reason enough to get on board. Think of biathlon as the Buffalo Bills of Winter Olympic sports.
But there's plenty more about biathlon to love.
The venue here, a regular stop on the World Cup circuit, is gorgeous, nestled in the Dolomites like a jewel. And biathlon fans show out. There are pop-up bars and restaurants outside the security perimeter, packed with fans tailgating before and after the race.
The grandstands were filled with singing, chanting and bell-ringing fans, and so many flags waved when a German athlete left the start box you'd have thought you were in Munich. Couldn't get a seat in the stands? No worries! Thousands of fans lined the course, standing several people deep to watch athletes push themselves to whatever depth of hell is below even the pain cave.
"That was one of my hardest last kilometers I've had in a while. That really sucked," Wright said. "I was out of energy. My legs stopped working. And that sucks when it stops working and you're a (kilometer) away, because you know it's going to be a really long kilometer."
See! Drama! Wright, and pretty much every other athlete, was pushing himself so hard he collapsed after crossing the finish line, staying crumpled in the snow for several minutes. Even 20 minutes afterward, some racers were still trying to catch their breath.
And if we're going to talk drama, well. The bronze medalist in the 10km sprint was Norway's Sturla Holm Lægreid, better known at these Games as "The Cheater."
After winning bronze in the 20km on Tuesday, Feb. 10, Lægreid confessed in a post-race interview that he'd cheated on his (now) ex-girlfriend and wanted her back. He's since apologized for that, too, saying he regretted that broadcasting his personal soap opera had overshadowed teammate Johan-Olav Botn's gold-medal performance.
If this guy's story doesn't show up on Law and Order or, better yet, one of Bravo's Housewives franchises, the suits at NBC are doing something wrong.
"Obviously biathlons had some interesting stuff coming out of this Games," U.S. veteran Paul Schommer, who finished 47th in the 10km, said wryly.
But the best part about getting into biathlon? You'd be getting in on the ground floor.
The Americans are closer to breaking through that medal ceiling than ever. Deedra Irwin's seventh-place finish in Beijing was the best-ever for an individual U.S. athlete, and she has five top-10 finishes in the World Cup this season. Wright was a silver medalist in two events at last year's world championships, and got his first World Cup podium in the last race before the Olympics.
A breakthrough is coming and, when it happens, you can say you were an OG fan. (Original, not Olympic Games.)
"I think I'm in the game for all of them," said Wright, who still has the pursuit, mass start and team relay left. "OK, it's a hard game, don't get me wrong. I don't think I'm going to medal 100% or anything. But just because I'm 12 today doesn't mean I'm out for the (others)."
Biathlon. Get on board. You'll thank me later.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biathlon is best Winter Olympics sport you're missing out on. See why