The 1977–78 Biathlon World Cup was a multi-race tournament over a season of

biathlon The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not ti ...

, organised by the UIPMB ( Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne et Biathlon). The season started on 13 January 1978 in

Ruhpolding Ruhpolding is the municipality with the biggest area of the Traunstein (district), Traunstein district in southeastern Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the south of the Chiemgau region in the Alps and next to the Austrian border. The economy ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, and ended in April 1978 in

Sodankylä Sodankylä (; ; ; ) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the region of Lapland, and lies at the northern end of Highway 5 ( E63) and along Highway 4 ( E75). The Kitinen River flows near the center of Sodankylä. Its neighbouring mun ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. It was the first ever season of the

Biathlon World Cup The Biathlon World Cup is a top-level biathlon season-long competition series. It has been held since the winter seasons of 1977–78 for men and 1982–83 for women. The women's seasons until 1986–87 season were called the European Cup, alt ...

, and it was only held for men.

Calendar

Below is the World Cup calendar for the 1977–78 season. ''*The relays were technically unofficial races as they did not count towards anything in the World Cup.''

World Cup podium

Men

Standings

Overall

*Final standings after 10 races.

Achievements

;First World Cup career victory: *, 22, in his 1st season — the WC 1 Individual in Ruhpolding; it also was his first podium and the first podium for an East German biathlete *, 29, in his 1st season — the WC 1 Sprint in Ruhpolding; it also was his first podium and the first podium for a Norwegian biathlete *, 20, in his 1st season — the WC 2 Individual in Ruhpolding; first podium was 1977–78 Sprint in Ruhpolding *, 21, in his 1st season — the World Championships Individual in Hochfilzen; it also was his first podium *, 28, in his 1st season — the WC 3 Individual in Murmansk; first podium was 1977–78 Individual in Antholz-Anterselva *, 27, in his 1st season — the WC 4 Sprint in Sodankylä; first podium was 1977–78 Sprint in Antholz-Anterselva ;First World Cup podium: *, 27, in his 1st season — no. 2 in the WC 1 Individual in Ruhpolding *, 24, in his 1st season — no. 3 in the WC 1 Individual in Ruhpolding; it also was the first podium for a West German biathlete *, 19, in his 1st season — no. 3 in the WC 1 Sprint in Ruhpolding *, 29, in his 1st season — no. 2 in the WC 2 Individual in Antholz-Anterselva; it also was the first podium for a Soviet biathlete *, 28, in his 1st season — no. 3 in the WC 2 Individual in Antholz-Anterselva *, 26, in his 1st season — no. 2 in the WC 3 Individual in Murmansk *, in his 1st season — no. 3 in the WC 3 Individual in Murmansk *, 26, in his 1st season — no. 3 in the WC 2 Sprint in Antholz-Anterselva *, in his 1st season — no. 2 in the WC 4 Individual in Sodankylä *, 25, in his 1st season — no. 3 in the WC 4 Individual in Sodankylä *, 30, in his 1st season — no. 2 in the WC 4 Sprint in Sodankylä; it also was the first podium for a Finnish biathlete *, 31, in his 1st season — no. 3 in the WC 4 Sprint in Sodankylä ;Victory in this World Cup (all-time number of victories in parentheses): *, 3 (3) first places *, 3 (3) first places *, 1 (1) first place *, 1 (1) first place *, 1 (1) first place *, 1 (1) first place

Retirements

Following notable biathletes retired after the 1977–78 season: * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1977-78 Biathlon World Cup Biathlon World Cup

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...