The French biathlon team raced to gold in the mixed 4x6km relay Sunday at the Olympics, with host nation Italy chasing down the gap for a silver on home turf.

Julia Simon hit all 10 of her shots as she stormed through the final leg to secure gold for favourites France in a thrilling biathlon mixed relay on Sunday, setting the scene for the 10 medal races to come at the Milano Cortina Games.

Here is how the Biathlon works, including its rules, scoring and history in the Olympics.

Biathlon begins Sunday with the mixed relay event. It will set the tone for the ten following events in Milan Cortina and Team Italy's hopes for a biathlon medal.

The U.S. has medaled in every Winter Olympic sport, except Biathlon, which combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Here's what to know:

GUANGZHOU, China, May 10 (Reuters) - Italy, Canada and Jamaica reached the mixed 4x100 metres relay final in the event's global debut while heavyweights the United States experienced mixed fortunes on a dramatic opening day at the World Athletics Relays on ...