Who won the first Olympic biathlon gold medal at the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics?

Klas Lestander won the first Olympic biathlon gold medal at the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics.

The Swedish athlete won the inaugural Olympic men's 20-kilometre biathlon race, finishing in 1 hour, 33 minutes and 21.6 seconds. He was exceptionally accurate, missing only one of 20 targets, and that shooting performance helped him defeat faster skiers.

Biathlon had previously appeared at the 1928, 1936 and 1948 Winter Olympics as a military patrol event, but the 20-kilometre race at Squaw Valley was the first official Olympic biathlon competition. Military patrol was a related predecessor rather than the same medal event.

Lestander's victory was his only Olympic medal. He later became known for his careful, precise approach, which contrasted with competitors who skied faster but incurred more time penalties for missed targets.