(NEXSTAR) - The Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will feature 11 biathlon events as Team USA seeks its first-ever medal in the sport. Biathlon combines long-distance cross-country skiing with precision target shooting in both individual and team competitions. The upcoming Olympic program includes races with distances ranging from six kilometers to 20 kilometers per person. Competitors must navigate a course and stop at designated intervals to shoot at a series of targets. Missing a target results in a penalty, which is typically assessed as an extra skiing lap or a one-minute addition to the athlete's total time. Some races feature a mass start where all athletes begin together, while other events require competitors to race against the clock. Tim Burke is a four-time Olympian and current biathlon coach who helps athletes navigate the technical requirements of the range. He noted that while the number of targets remains consistent, the physical approach changes throughout the race. "In every single race you shoot from the prone position, so from the lying down position, and from the standing position," Burke said. "Almost always, when you come into the range, you're shooting five shots for five targets." The difficulty of the shooting stage is adjusted based on the athlete's stance. In the prone position, competitors aim at a target that is 1.7 inches wide. When shooting from a standing position, the target size increases to approximately 4.5 inches wide. Biathlon holds a unique historical position for Team USA as the only long-standing winter sport in which the country has not yet won an Olympic medal. The only other winter sport without a U.S. medal is ski mountaineering, which is making its official Olympic debut during the 2026 games. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by Nexstar. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by Nexstar staff before being published.