 Competition
Seventeen
events in shooting were scheduled for Games—six for
shotguns, five with pistols, and six with rifles. Three relatively
new events were the men’s 10-meter running target and
the men’s and women’s double trap.
Men’s Events
Rapid-fire Pistol, 25 meters. This two-day event involves three phases. In
the first phase, the shooter, using a .22-caliber pistol, has 8 seconds to
fire at the 5 targets placed 25 meters away. He is allowed one shot per target.
In the second phase, he has 6 seconds to fire at the same 5 targets. In the
third phase, he has only 4 seconds in which to fire.
Free Pistol, 50 meters. The .22-caliber free
pistol event allows shooters 2 hours to fire
60 shots at a target 50 meters away. The 10
ring, or bull’s-eye, is only 5 cm (2
in) in diameter. Points for hits range from
10 in the center to 1 point on the outermost
ring. The highest point total wins.
Smallbore Rifle, Prone Position, 50 meters.
Competitors have 1 1/2 hours to take 60 shots
using a .22-caliber rifle weighing up to 8
kg (17.6 lb). The shooter is lying flat on
his stomach, one leg straight, the other bent,
with his wrist at least 15 cm (6 in) above
the ground. His 10-ring target has a bull’s-eye
which is a mere 10.4 mm in diameter.
Smallbore Rifle, Three Position, 50 meters.
This most difficult event requires each competitor
to shoot from 3 different positions: prone,
kneeling, and standing. Shooters fire at a
10-ring target with a 10.4 mm bull’s-eye,
50 meters away, using a .22-caliber rifle which
can weigh up to, but not exceed, 8 kg (17.6
lb).
Air Rifle, 10 meters. Aiming at a bull’s-eye
only 0.5 millimeter in diameter 10 meters away,
shooters fire one shot per target from the
standing position. Both men and women use air-
or gaspowered .177-caliber rifles, weighing
up to 5.5 kg (12.1 lb).
Air Pistol, 10 meters. Men have 1 3/4 hours
to take 60 shots at 10 meters. The bull’s
eye of the small 10-ring target is a scant
1 millimeter in diameter. Shooters use an air-
or a gas-powered .177-caliber pistol, taking
only one shot per target.
Running Game Target, 50
meters. This moving target event uses a life-size
paper image of a wild boar as its target. The “boar,” marked
with a series of scoring rings ranging in point
value from 1 to 10, runs along a 10-meter track
at two speeds, normal and rapid. The shooter,
using a .177-caliber air rifle with telescopic
sights, is permitted 30 shots at each speed.
Men’s Running Target,
10 meters. Sixty shots are fired at a target
10 meters away with a center ring of 5.5mm
(.22 in) in diameter. Thirty shots are in a
slow round and 30 in a rapid round. For the
slow round, the target—pulled across
an aisle that is 2 meters wide —is visible
for five seconds. For the rapid round, the
target is visible for two and one-half seconds.
Men’s Double Trap.
This event was contested for the second time
in an Olympic Summer Games, having appeared
first at Atlanta in 1996. Shotguns are fired
from five adjacent shooting stations, each
of which throws two targets from an underground
bunker at speeds up to 50 mph. Competitors
fire one shot per target, which weighs 105
g (3.7 oz), measures 11cm (4 in) in diameter,
and is 25-26mm (less than 1 inch) thick.
Women’s Events
Air Rifle, 10 meters. Shooters have 75 minutes to fire 40 shots from a standing
position at a stationary target 10 meters away. The bull’s eye is 0.5
millimeter in diameter. Women use air- or gas-powered .177-caliber rifles,
weighing up to 5.5 kg (12.1 lb).
Smallbore Rifles, Three
Positions, 50 meters. Women fire .22-caliber
rifles, not exceeding 5.5 kg (12.1 lb). They
shoot 40 rounds from each of three positions:
prone, kneeling, and standing at a stationary
target.
Sport Pistol, 25 meters.
This event, using a .22-caliber standard pistol,
is divided into two 30-shot stages. The “precision” stage
uses a target with a 5 cm (2 in) bull’s-eye.
In 6 rounds, shooters have 6 minutes to fire
5 shots. In the “rapid-fire” stage
the target has a 10 cm (4 in) bull’s-eye
which faces the shooter for 3 seconds, then
mechanically turns away for 7 seconds.
Air Pistol, 10 meters. This
event was added at the 1988 Games. Using an
air- or gas-powered pistol, shots are taken
at a small 10-ring stationary target. Shooters
take one shot per target and have 75 minutes
to complete 40 shots.
Women’s Double Trap.
This event was contested for the second time
in an Olympic Summer Games, having made its
debut at the Atlanta Games in 1996. Shotguns
are shot from five adjacent shooting stations,
each of which throws two targets from an underground
bunker at speeds up to 50 mph. Competitors
fire one shot per target, which is shot from
one of three trap machines at each station.
The combined score from the preliminary round
and the finals determines the order of finish.
Mixed Events
Trap Shooting. Shooters use a 12-gauge shotgun. In competition, 10 cm (4 in)
clay saucers, known as “clay pigeons,” are dispatched mechanically
at heights ranging from 1 to 4 meters above ground level. Each shooter has
two shots. The clay pigeons are mechanically flung into the air, one to a
shooter, at slightly different angles. Over three days, each shooter has
200 pigeons.
Skeet shooting. This event
also uses the 12-gauge shotgun and clay pigeons;
however, sometimes two pigeons are released
at a time, and the shooter is required to break
both clays before either falls to the ground.
Competitors move around to eight different
stations.
The pigeon is released
from one of two skeet towers located on either
side of the shooting station and placed approximately
46 meters away. One tower is high, the other
low, and a shooter never knows the angle or
exact height of the next pigeon.
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