how big is a biathlon target

A standard biathlon target is placed 50 meters from the shooter and has two different hit-zone sizes, depending on shooting position.

• Prone (lying down): the black hit circle is 45 mm in diameter, which is about 1.8 inches.

• Standing: the hit circle is 115 mm in diameter, about 4.5 inches.

• Distance to target: always 50 m in modern biathlon competitions.

So when people ask “how big is a biathlon target,” they usually mean these hit zones: roughly the size of a small lime when prone and about an orange when standing.