| | Event type
4 × 7.5 kilometres Relay, Men
| Date | 26 February 1988 — 10:50 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Olympic | |
| Location | Canmore Nordic Centre, Canmore | |
| Participants | 64 from 16 countries | |
| Format | Eight shots for each group of five targets. Penalty loop (150 metres) skied for each missed target. | |
| Details | Course Length: 7,548 m Height Differential: 44 m Maximum Climb: 25 m Shooting 1: Prone at 2.5 km, 50 m range Shooting 2: Standing at 5.0 km, 50 m range Total Climbing: 294 m | |
The relay was expected to be contested between the Soviet Union and East Germany, as they had finished 1-2 at the last four World Championships and at the 1984 Winter Olympics. But on the first leg, the Soviet Union was in third place, trailing the surprising Austrians and Italy. The opening leg was a disaster for East Germany’s Jürgen Wirth, who missed three targets and finishing the leg in only 12th place. They were out of the medals and would finish fifth. On the second leg, the Soviets pulled ahead, taking almost a one minute lead over Austria. They would maintain the margin at about a minute to win the gold medal, although West Germany would come on in the last two legs to win silver, with Italy finishing third, and Austria dropping out of the medals in fourth. The first four teams had all their skiers shoot clean rounds throughout, and had no penalty loops. East Germany’s final three skiers also shot cleanly, and Wirth’s misses on the opening leg may have cost his team the gold medal. For the Soviet Union it was their sixth consecutive victory in the event, as they never lost the relay at the Winter Olympics.
| 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 | 1-22:30.0 | 0 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | Gold | ||
| Lead-Off | Dmitry Vasilyev | 21:04.3 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 21:04.3 (3) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Sergey Chepikov | 20:12.0 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 41:16.3 (1) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Aliaksandr Papou | 20:35.1 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-01:51.4 (1) | ||||
| Anchor | Valery Medvedtsev | 20:38.6 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-22:30.0 (1) | ||||
| 2 | West Germany |  FRG | 1-23:37.4 | 0 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | Silver | ||
| Lead-Off | Ernst Reiter | 21:05.7 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 21:05.7 (4) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Stefan Höck | 21:18.0 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 42:23.7 (3) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Peter Angerer | 20:33.9 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-02:57.6 (2) | ||||
| Anchor | Fritz Fischer | 20:39.8 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-23:37.4 (2) | ||||
| 3 | Italy |  ITA | 1-23:51.5 | 0 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | Bronze | ||
| Lead-Off | Werner Kiem | 20:57.9 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 20:57.9 (2) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Gottlieb Taschler | 21:31.1 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 42:29.0 (4) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Johann Passler | 20:38.6 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-03:07.6 (3) | ||||
| Anchor | Andreas Zingerle | 20:43.9 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-23:51.5 (3) | ||||
| 4 | Austria |  AUT | 1-24:17.6 | 0 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Anton Lengauer-Stockner | 20:55.6 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 20:55.6 (1) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Bruno Hofstätter | 21:20.5 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 42:16.1 (2) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Franz Schuler | 21:15.1 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-03:31.2 (4) | ||||
| Anchor | Alfred Eder | 20:46.4 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-24:17.6 (4) | ||||
| 5 | East Germany |  GDR | 1-24:28.4 | 3 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Jürgen Wirth | 22:51.8 | 3 | – | 3 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 22:51.8 (12) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Frank-Peter Roetsch | 20:20.9 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 43:12.7 (5) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Matthias Jacob | 20:29.1 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-03:41.8 (5) | ||||
| Anchor | André Sehmisch | 20:46.6 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-24:28.4 (5) | ||||
| 6 | Norway |  NOR | 1-25:57.0 | 0 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Geir Einang | 21:58.6 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 21:58.6 (8) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Frode Løberg | 21:46.4 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 43:45.0 (9) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Gisle Fenne | 20:59.9 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-04:44.9 (6) | ||||
| Anchor | Eirik Kvalfoss | 21:12.1 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-25:57.0 (6) | ||||
| 7 | Sweden |  SWE | 1-29:11.9 | 3 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Peter Sjödén | 22:18.3 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 22:18.3 (10) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Mikael Löfgren | 21:25.0 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 43:43.3 (8) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Roger Westling | 23:40.2 | 3 | – | 3 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-07:23.5 (11) | ||||
| Anchor | Leif Andersson | 21:48.4 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-29:11.9 (7) | ||||
| 8 | Bulgaria |  BUL | 1-29:24.9 | 7 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Vasil Bozhilov | 22:14.7 | 1 | – | 1 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 22:14.7 (9) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Vladimir Velichkov | 20:58.8 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 43:13.5 (6) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Krasimir Videnov | 23:28.2 | 4 | – | 4 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-06:41.7 (8) | ||||
| Anchor | Hristo Vodenicharov | 22:43.2 | 2 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 2 | – | – (–) | 1-29:24.9 (8) | ||||
| 9 | United States |  USA | 1-29:33.0 | 2 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Lyle Nelson | 22:43.3 | 1 | – | 1 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 22:43.3 (11) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Curt Schreiner | 21:39.7 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 44:23.0 (10) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Darin Binning | 22:17.3 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-06:40.3 (7) | ||||
| Anchor | Josh Thompson | 22:52.7 | 1 | – | 1 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-29:33.0 (9) | ||||
| 10 | France |  FRA | 1-30:22.8 | 6 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Éric Claudon | 21:58.1 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 21:58.1 (7) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Jean-Paul Giachino | 23:58.2 | 4 | – | 4 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 45:56.3 (13) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Hervé Flandin | 21:26.8 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-07:23.1 (10) | ||||
| Anchor | Francis Mougel | 22:59.7 | 2 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 2 | – | – (–) | 1-30:22.8 (10) | ||||
| 11 | Czechoslovakia |  TCH | 1-30:48.8 | 3 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Jiří Holubec | 21:53.2 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 21:53.2 (6) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | František Chládek | 23:52.7 | 3 | – | 3 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 45:45.9 (12) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Tomáš Kos | 23:32.2 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-09:18.1 (13) | ||||
| Anchor | Jan Matouš | 21:30.7 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-30:48.8 (11) | ||||
| 12 | Finland |  FIN | 1-30:54.4 | 5 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Juha Tella | 23:33.0 | 3 | – | 3 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 23:33.0 (14) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Antero Lähde | 22:54.1 | 2 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 2 | – | – (–) | 46:27.1 (14) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Arto Jääskeläinen | 22:46.5 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-09:13.6 (12) | ||||
| Anchor | Tapio Piipponen | 21:40.8 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-30:54.4 (12) | ||||
| 13 | Great Britain |  GBR | 1-31:44.6 | 5 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Mike Dixon | 21:35.6 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 21:35.6 (5) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Mark Langin | 21:55.5 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 43:31.1 (7) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Carl Davies | 23:31.5 | 1 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 1-07:02.6 (9) | ||||
| Anchor | Trevor King | 24:42.0 | 4 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 4 | – | – (–) | 1-31:44.6 (13) | ||||
| 14 | Japan |  JPN | 1-32:52.4 | 6 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Tadashi Nakamura | 23:26.6 | 3 | – | 2 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 23:26.6 (13) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Misao Kodate | 21:46.9 | 1 | – | 1 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 45:13.5 (11) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Akihiro Takizawa | 25:15.1 | 2 | – | 2 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-10:28.6 (15) | ||||
| Anchor | Koichi Sato | 22:23.8 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-32:52.4 (14) | ||||
| 15 | Canada |  CAN | 1-33:37.0 | 4 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Charles Plamondon | 24:48.4 | 3 | – | 1 | – | – (–) | 2 | – | – (–) | 24:48.4 (15) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Glenn Rupertus | 22:52.4 | 1 | – | 1 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 47:40.8 (15) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Ken Karpoff | 22:29.6 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-10:10.4 (14) | ||||
| Anchor | Jamie Kallio | 23:26.6 | 0 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-33:37.0 (15) | ||||
| 16 | Republic of Korea |  KOR | 1-51:42.7 | 7 | – | – | – | – (–) | – | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-Off | Hong Byung-Sik | 26:42.0 | 1 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 26:42.0 (16) | ||||
| 2nd Leg | Joo Young-Dai | 26:38.9 | 3 | – | 2 | – | – (–) | 1 | – | – (–) | 53:20.9 (16) | ||||
| 3rd Leg | Kim Yong-Woon | 29:43.4 | 2 | – | 0 | – | – (–) | 2 | – | – (–) | 1-23:04.3 (16) | ||||
| Anchor | Shin Young-Sun | 28:38.4 | 1 | – | 1 | – | – (–) | 0 | – | – (–) | 1-51:42.7 (16) |