4 × 7.5 kilometres Relay, Men
| Date | 13 February 1976 — 10:00 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Olympic | |
| Location | Langlaufstadion, Seefeld | |
| Participants | 60 from 15 countries | |
| Format | Eight shots for each group of five targets. Penalty loop (200 metres) skied for each missed target. | |
| Details | Course Length: ? Height Differential: 92 m Maximum Climb: 63 m Shooting 1: Prone at 2.5 km, 150 m range Shooting 2: Standing at 5.0 km, 150 m range Total Climbing: 336 m | |
The Soviet Union team was highly favored for another Olympic relay gold, winning the two earlier Olympic relays with clear margins. Out of eight earlier World Championships relays, the Soviet team had won five, but one of their rare losses was at the 1975 World Championships, when Finland was able to defeat the seemingly unbeatable Soviet team.
The 1976 Olympic Biathlon relay developed into a non-thrilling affair regarding the gold and silver medal. The Soviet’s Aleksandr Yelizarov took a commanding lead at the first leg, 42 seconds ahead of the surprise of the leg, the USA’s Lyle Nelson. Finland started badly and was in seventh place at the first exchange, 2:13 behind the Soviets. On the second leg, Finland’s 37-year old veteran Esko Saira brought his team up to second position, 1:08 behind the USSR. Over the last two legs, the Soviet Union increased their lead steadily over Finland, all four team members shooting perfectly. Finland also increased the gap to their pursuers steadily, and was in second place, 1:32 ahead of West Germany, at the last exchange. The fight for the bronze medal developed into a close duel between the two German teams. East Germany’s anchor leg man, Manfred Geyer started his leg in seventh, 1:43 behind the bronze medal position, but advanced steadily after perfect shooting and caught West Germany just before the finish, reaching the finish just three seconds ahead of his West German rival with the second fastest leg time of the day.
| Pos | Competitors | NOC | Time | Misses | Extra Shots | Shooting 1 Misses | Shooting 1 Extra Shots | Shooting 1 | Shooting 2 Misses | Shooting 2 Extra Shots | Shooting 2 | Exchange | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soviet Union |  URS | 1-57:55.64 | 0 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | Gold | ||
| Lead-Off | Aleksandr Yelizarov | 29:47.44 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 29:47.44 (1) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Ivan Byakov | 30:16.79 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-00:04.23 (1) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Nikolay Kruglov | 29:04.80 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-29:09.03 (1) | ||||
| Anchor | Aleksandr Tikhonov | 28:46.61 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-57:55.64 (1) | ||||
| 2 | Finland |  FIN | 2-01:45.58 | 2 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | Silver | ||
| Lead-Off | Henrik Flöjt | 32:00.19 | 1 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 32:00.19 (7) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Esko Saira | 29:12.47 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-01:12.66 (2) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Juhani Suutarinen | 30:52.23 | 1 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 1-32:04.89 (2) | ||||
| Anchor | Heikki Ikola | 29:40.69 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 2-01:45.58 (2) | ||||
| 3 | East Germany |  GDR | 2-04:08.61 | 5 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | Bronze | ||
| Lead-Off | Karl-Heinz Menz | 31:02.18 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 31:02.18 (4) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Frank Ullrich | 32:47.28 | 4 | – | 2 | – | – (–) | 2 | – | – (–) | 1-03:49.46 (8) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Manfred Beer | 31:30.01 | 1 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 1-35:19.47 (7) | ||||
| Anchor | Manfred Geyer | 28:49.14 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 2-04:08.61 (3) | ||||
| 4 | West Germany |  FRG | 2-04:11.86 | 4 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Heinrich Mehringer | 30:38.46 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 30:38.46 (3) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Gerd Winkler | 30:42.83 | 1 | – | 1 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-01:21.29 (3) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Josef Keck | 32:15.08 | 3 | – | 3 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-33:36.37 (3) | ||||
| Anchor | Claus Gehrke | 30:35.49 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 2-04:11.86 (4) | ||||
| 5 | Norway |  NOR | 2-05:10.28 | 6 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Kjell Hovda | 33:24.66 | 2 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 2 | – | – (–) | 33:24.66 (12) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Terje Hanssen | 31:20.50 | 3 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 3 | – | – (–) | 1-04:45.16 (9) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Svein Engen | 29:20.67 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-34:05.83 (5) | ||||
| Anchor | Tor Svendsberget | 31:04.45 | 1 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 2-05:10.28 (5) | ||||
| 6 | Italy |  ITA | 2-06:16.55 | 3 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Lino Jordan | 31:52.53 | 1 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 31:52.53 (6) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Pierantonio Clementi | 31:45.82 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-03:38.35 (6) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Luigi Weiss | 30:59.51 | 1 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 1-34:37.86 (6) | ||||
| Anchor | Willy Bertin | 31:38.69 | 1 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 2-06:16.55 (6) | ||||
| 7 | France |  FRA | 2-07:34.42 | 5 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | René Arpin | 32:17.67 | 2 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 2 | – | – (–) | 32:17.67 (8) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Yvon Mougel | 29:58.45 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-02:16.12 (4) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Marius Falquy | 31:40.41 | 1 | – | 1 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-33:56.53 (4) | ||||
| Anchor | Jean-Claude Viry | 33:37.89 | 2 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 2 | – | – (–) | 2-07:34.42 (7) | ||||
| 8 | Sweden |  SWE | 2-08:46.90 | 8 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Mats-Åke Lantz | 32:44.58 | 3 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 3 | – | – (–) | 32:44.58 (9) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Torsten Wadman | 32:45.74 | 3 | – | 1 | – | – (–) | 2 | – | – (–) | 1-05:30.32 (10) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Sune Adolfsson | 31:59.45 | 2 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 2 | – | – (–) | 1-37:29.77 (10) | ||||
| Anchor | Lars-Göran Arwidson | 31:17.13 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 2-08:46.90 (8) | ||||
| 9 | Czechoslovakia |  TCH | 2-09:06.63 | 4 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Ladislav Žižka | 31:45.67 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 31:45.67 (5) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Miroslav Soviš | 31:49.07 | 1 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 1-03:34.74 (5) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Antonín Kříž | 32:32.81 | 3 | – | 2 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 1-36:07.55 (8) | ||||
| Anchor | Zdeněk Pavlíček | 32:59.08 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 2-09:06.63 (9) | ||||
| 10 | Romania |  ROU | 2-09:54.40 | 7 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Nicolae Cristoloveanu | 35:23.57 | 4 | – | 1 | – | – (–) | 3 | – | – (–) | 35:23.57 (14) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Gheorghe Voicu | 30:26.75 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-05:50.32 (11) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Victor Fontana | 32:01.12 | 1 | – | 1 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-37:51.44 (11) | ||||
| Anchor | Gheorghe Gârniță | 32:02.96 | 2 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 2 | – | – (–) | 2-09:54.40 (10) | ||||
| 11 | United States |  USA | 2-10:17.72 | 4 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Lyle Nelson | 30:29.17 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 30:29.17 (2) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Dennis Donahue | 33:11.78 | 2 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 2 | – | – (–) | 1-03:40.95 (7) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | John Morton | 33:09.08 | 1 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 1-36:50.03 (9) | ||||
| Anchor | Peter Dascoulias | 33:27.69 | 1 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 2-10:17.72 (11) | ||||
| 12 | Poland |  POL | 2-11:46.54 | 9 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Jan Szpunar | 36:25.42 | 6 | – | 4 | – | – (–) | 2 | – | – (–) | 36:25.42 (15) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Andrzej Rapacz | 32:24.37 | 2 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 2 | – | – (–) | 1-08:49.79 (15) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Ludwik Zięba | 30:33.06 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-39:22.85 (13) | ||||
| Anchor | Wojciech Truchan | 32:23.69 | 1 | – | 1 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 2-11:46.54 (12) | ||||
| 13 | Great Britain |  GBR | 2-11:54.36 | 8 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Malcolm Hirst | 33:33.15 | 3 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 3 | – | – (–) | 33:33.15 (13) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Jeffrey Stevens | 32:20.13 | 1 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 1-05:53.28 (12) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Paul Gibbins | 32:37.31 | 2 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 2 | – | – (–) | 1-38:30.59 (12) | ||||
| Anchor | Graeme Ferguson | 33:23.77 | 2 | – | 1 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 2-11:54.36 (13) | ||||
| 14 | Japan |  JPN | 2-17:09.04 | 10 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Isao Ono | 33:19.43 | 3 | – | 3 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 33:19.43 (11) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Hiroyuki Deguchi | 33:08.62 | 1 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 1-06:28.05 (13) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Manabu Suzuki | 34:27.07 | 3 | – | 2 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 1-40:55.12 (14) | ||||
| Anchor | Yoshiyuki Shirate | 36:13.92 | 3 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 3 | – | – (–) | 2-17:09.04 (14) | ||||
| 15 | Austria |  AUT | 2-18:06.78 | 11 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Franz-Josef Weber | 33:10.35 | 2 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 2 | – | – (–) | 33:10.35 (10) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Alfred Eder | 34:27.12 | 5 | – | 2 | – | – (–) | 3 | – | – (–) | 1-07:37.47 (14) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Klaus Farbmacher | 34:23.90 | 1 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 1-42:01.37 (15) | ||||
| Anchor | Josef Hones | 36:05.41 | 3 | – | 1 | – | – (–) | 2 | – | – (–) | 2-18:06.78 (15) |