| Date | 11 February 1972 — 9:00 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Olympic | |
| Location | Makomanai Biathlon Site, Sapporo | |
| Participants | 52 from 13 countries | |
| Format | Eight shots for each group of 5 targets. Penalty loop (200 metres) skied for each missed target. | |
| Details | Course Length: ? Height Differential: 44 m Maximum Climb: 33 m Shooting 1: Prone at 2.5 km, 150 m range Shooting 2: Standing at 5.0 km, 150 m range Total Climbing: 224 m | |
The defending champion Soviet Union was a heavy favorite for the relay gold after winning all three World Championships from 1969-1971. Norway was expected to be their closest rivals, having won silver behind the Soviets in that period. Finland and East Germany were considered as medal contenders.
The first leg gave some unexpected results. Home favorite Isao Ono hit all his targets and skied fast enough to reach the first exchange 36 seconds ahead of his closest rival, East Germany’s silver medalist from the individual event, Hansjörg Knauthe. In third place was another big surprise, Great Britain’s Malcolm Hirst, only 8 seconds behind East Germany, but closely followed by Sweden and Norway. Finland and the Soviet Union were further behind, as the Soviet’s lead-off man Aleksandr Tikhonov had to ski two penalty loops and was 1:19 behind the leader. On the second leg Japan’s Shozo Sasaki was penalized five penalty loops and dropped from first to 13th and last place at the second exchange. After an excellent race Rinnat Safin advanced the Soviet team from ninth place into a clear lead, over one minute ahead of East Germany. Allen Morse had brought the USA team from seventh to third place, and Giovanni Astegiano moved Italy from 11th to fourth, both passing Sweden and Norway.
On the third leg, Soviet’s Ivan Byakov, in spite of skiing a penalty loop, increased the Soviet lead over East Germany to 1:40, and Sweden’s Torsten Wadman, with the fastest leg time, was only nine seconds behind the East Germans. USA was still doing well in fourth place, but Italy had dropped back to eighth. Finland had started to move and was fifth, over half a minute ahead of Norway. The Soviet anchor man Viktor Mamatov safely brought his team a gold medal, almost three minutes ahead of Finland. Mauri Röppänen had the fastest time on the last leg and advanced from fifth position to a silver medal, 20 seconds ahead of East Germany. Olympic champion Magnar Solberg was too far behind at the exchange, but passed Sweden and USA on the last leg and brought his team up to fourth place.
| Pos | Number | Competitors | NOC | Time | Misses | Extra Shots | Shooting 1 Misses | Shooting 1 Extra Misses | Shooting 2 Misses | Shooting 2 Extra Misses | Split | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Soviet Union |  URS | 1-51:44.92 | 3 | 9 | – | – | – | – | – (–) | Gold | ||
| Lead-Off | 1-1 | Aleksandr Tikhonov | 28:54.48 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 28:54.48 (9) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | 1-2 | Rinnat Safin | 26:48.52 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 55:43.00 (1) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | 1-3 | Ivan Byakov | 28:15.90 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1-23:58.90 (1) | ||||
| Anchor | 1-4 | Viktor Mamatov | 27:46.02 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1-51:44.92 (1) | ||||
| 2 | 9 | Finland |  FIN | 1-54:37.25 | 3 | 13 | – | – | – | – | – (–) | Silver | ||
| Lead-Off | 9-1 | Esko Saira | 28:52.04 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 28:52.04 (8) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | 9-2 | Juhani Suutarinen | 29:37.33 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 58:29.37 (7) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | 9-3 | Heikki Ikola | 28:45.79 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1-27:15.16 (5) | ||||
| Anchor | 9-4 | Mauri Röppänen | 27:22.09 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1-54:37.25 (2) | ||||
| 3 | 12 | East Germany |  GDR | 1-54:57.67 | 4 | 12 | – | – | – | – | – (–) | Bronze | ||
| Lead-Off | 12-1 | Hansjörg Knauthe | 28:11.72 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28:11.72 (2) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | 12-2 | Joachim Meischner | 28:35.86 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 56:47.58 (2) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | 12-3 | Dieter Speer | 28:50.72 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1-25:38.30 (2) | ||||
| Anchor | 12-4 | Horst Koschka | 29:19.37 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1-54:57.67 (3) | ||||
| 4 | 13 | Norway |  NOR | 1-56:24.41 | 7 | 21 | – | – | – | – | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | 13-1 | Tor Svendsberget | 28:23.86 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 28:23.86 (5) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | 13-2 | Kåre Hovda | 29:43.80 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 58:07.66 (6) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | 13-3 | Ivar Nordkild | 29:41.97 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1-27:49.63 (6) | ||||
| Anchor | 13-4 | Magnar Solberg | 28:34.78 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1-56:24.41 (3) | ||||
| 5 | 4 | Sweden |  SWE | 1-56:57.40 | 6 | 18 | – | – | – | – | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | 4-1 | Lars-Göran Arwidson | 28:23.09 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 28:23.09 (4) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | 4-2 | Olle Petrusson | 29:32.78 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 57:55.87 (5) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | 4-3 | Torsten Wadman | 27:52.03 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1-25:47.90 (3) | ||||
| Anchor | 4-4 | Holmfrid Olsson | 31:09.50 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1-56:57.40 (5) | ||||
| 6 | 10 | United States |  USA | 1-57:24.32 | 1 | 14 | – | – | – | – | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | 10-1 | Peter Karns | 28:50.37 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 28:50.37 (7) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | 10-2 | Terry Morse | 28:43.56 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 57:33.93 (3) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | 10-3 | Dennis Donahue | 29:01.97 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1-26:35.90 (4) | ||||
| Anchor | 10-4 | Jay Bowerman | 30:48.42 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1-57:24.32 (6) | ||||
| 7 | 5 | Poland |  POL | 1-58:09.92 | 4 | 18 | – | – | – | – | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | 5-1 | Józef Różak | 29:36.15 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 29:36.15 (12) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | 5-2 | Józef Stopka | 29:21.63 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 58:57.78 (8) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | 5-3 | Andrzej Rapacz | 29:05.75 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1-28:03.53 (7) | ||||
| Anchor | 5-4 | Aleksander Klima | 30:06.39 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1-58:09.92 (7) | ||||
| 8 | 11 | Japan |  JPN | 1-59:09.48 | 5 | 18 | – | – | – | – | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | 11-1 | Isao Ono | 27:35.73 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 27:35.73 (1) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | 11-2 | Shozo Sasaki | 33:46.08 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1-01:21.81 (13) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | 11-3 | Miki Shibuya | 27:59.80 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1-29:21.61 (9) | ||||
| Anchor | 11-4 | Kazuo Sasakubo | 29:47.87 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1-59:09.48 (8) | ||||
| 9 | 2 | Romania |  ROU | 1-59:30.61 | 5 | 17 | – | – | – | – | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | 2-1 | Nicolae Veștea | 28:47.96 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 28:47.96 (6) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | 2-2 | Victor Fontana | 32:19.63 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1-01:07.59 (12) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | 2-3 | Ion Țeposu | 28:47.13 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1-29:54.72 (10) | ||||
| Anchor | 2-4 | Vilmoș Gheorghe | 29:35.89 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1-59:30.61 (9) | ||||
| 10 | 6 | Italy |  ITA | 1-59:47.62 | 6 | 20 | – | – | – | – | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | 6-1 | Willy Bertin | 29:06.56 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 29:06.56 (11) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | 6-2 | Giovanni Astegiano | 28:43.42 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 57:49.98 (4) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | 6-3 | Corrado Varesco | 30:58.59 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1-28:48.57 (8) | ||||
| Anchor | 6-4 | Lino Jordan | 30:59.05 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1-59:47.62 (10) | ||||
| 11 | 7 | Great Britain |  GBR | 2-01:38.84 | 5 | 16 | – | – | – | – | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | 7-1 | Malcolm Hirst | 28:19.40 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 28:19.40 (3) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | 7-2 | Keith Oliver | 31:58.85 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1-00:18.25 (11) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | 7-3 | Jeffrey Stevens | 30:53.97 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1-31:12.22 (12) | ||||
| Anchor | 7-4 | Alan Notley | 30:26.62 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2-01:38.84 (11) | ||||
| 12 | 3 | Czechoslovakia |  TCH | 2-03:08.17 | 3 | 20 | – | – | – | – | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | 3-1 | Ladislav Žižka | 28:59.51 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 28:59.51 (10) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | 3-2 | Pavel Ploc | 30:38.69 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 59:38.20 (9) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | 3-3 | Ján Húska | 31:29.79 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1-31:07.99 (11) | ||||
| Anchor | 3-4 | Arnošt Hájek | 32:00.18 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2-03:08.17 (12) | ||||
| 13 | 8 | France |  FRA | 2-03:08.90 | 4 | 19 | – | – | – | – | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | 8-1 | René Arpin | 30:04.71 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 30:04.71 (13) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | 8-2 | Noël Turrel | 29:34.23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 59:38.94 (10) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | 8-3 | Daniel Claudon | 32:05.94 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1-31:44.88 (13) | ||||
| Anchor | 8-4 | Aimé Gruet-Masson | 31:24.02 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2-03:08.90 (13) |
