In biathlon, the margin between a medal and a mid-pack finish can come down to a single shot at 50 meters—one round that either drops a 45-mm prone target or drifts wide and adds a full minute to the clock. It’s a sport where the ammunition matters as much as the athlete pulling the trigger.
Lapua, the Finnish manufacturer known across the competitive shooting world for its premium rimfire cartridges, has renewed its partnership with U.S. Biathlon as the organization’s official ammunition supplier heading into the next Olympic cycle. The relationship between the two is not new—Lapua and U.S. Biathlon have worked together for years—but the renewal arrives at a moment when American biathletes are closer than ever to the international podium, and every variable that can be controlled is being controlled.
Biathlon demands that athletes carry a .22 LR rifle weighing no less than 3.5 kilograms—roughly 7.7 pounds—across kilometers of cross-country terrain before stopping to engage five targets at 50 meters from both prone and standing positions. The targets in prone measure just 45 mm in diameter, roughly the size of a golf ball. In standing, they open to 115 mm. At the highest levels, where athletes arrive at the range with elevated heart rates and burning lungs, the difference between a hit and a miss can hinge on the consistency of the cartridge as much as the steadiness of the hand holding the rifle.
“U.S. Biathlon is proud to continue our partnership with Lapua as our official ammunition supplier for the upcoming quadrennial,” U.S. Biathlon Director of Athlete Development Tim Burke said. “In a sport where medals are decided by seconds and centimeters, having absolute confidence in our equipment is essential. Lapua provides that confidence, and we look forward to another Olympic cycle with our athletes competing with the world’s best ammunition.”
The renewal comes on the heels of a Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics that saw the U.S. men’s relay team finish fifth, the best Olympic relay result in American biathlon history, and Campbell Wright post an eighth-place pursuit finish that tied the best individual Olympic result ever by an American man in the discipline. The program, based in Midway, Utah, has been building steadily since its founding in 1980, and the results are beginning to reflect the investment.
“We are honored to continue our partnership with the U.S. Biathlon Team,” Lapua Vice President of Marketing Adam Braverman said. “Supporting athletes who demand absolute performance aligns perfectly with our commitment to excellence and precision.”
Lapua is part of the Capstone Precision Group, the U.S. distributor for Berger, Lapua, Vihtavuori and SK brands. U.S. Biathlon, recognized by both the International Biathlon Union and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee as the national governing body for the sport, operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that develops athletes from the grassroots level through international and Olympic competition.
For more information, visit usbiathlon.org and lapua.com.
