Sports (Jan 2024)

Psychological Determinants in Biathlon Performance: A U23 National Team Case Study

  • Frank Eirik Abrahamsen,
  • Andreas Kvam,
  • Stig Arve Sæther

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/sports12020038
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 2
p. 38

Abstract

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Background: The present investigation examined what psychological factors athletes perceived to impact their competition performance and what training strategies and focus the athletes considered to be the most important. Methods: We recruited six participants (three females, three males) from the Norwegian Biathlon Federation’s national U23 and junior teams, and all participated. We used semi-structured interviews to gather the data and used thematic analyses to examine our findings. Results: The findings centered around the intricate relationship between psychological factors, particularly self-efficacy, anxiety, attention control, and performance, in biathlon shooting. Conclusions: Implementing a holistic approach to biathlon training entails harmonizing physical and psychological elements with personalized psychological training regimens.

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