SHOOTING has been an Olympic sport since the 1896 Athens Games, which was the first Olympic Games in modern history.
Public interest in the sport shot up during the Paris 2024 Games, with Team GB going on to win a medal in the sport. But how are shooting events organised?
What are the different types of shooting events in the Olympics?
Shooting events at the Olympics are based around either the Rifle, the Pistol or the Shotgun.
Both Rifle and Pistol events are divided further into Air Rifle and Air Pistol events, alongside a regular Pistol and Rifle event.
Rifle events
The two Rifle events involve Olympians firing at a fixed targets.
The first event is 50m Rifle 3 Position, where a participant fires in a kneeling, prone and standing position.
The other Rifle event is the 10m Air Rifle, where competitors take shots at a target, in a one hour and 15 minute time frame.
Pistol events
Pistol shooting has three sub categories in total.
In each, athletes must fire their pistols with one hand only, unsupported.
And, unlike the Olympic starting pistol, these pistols have real bullets.
The pistol subcategories are 25m Rapid Fire Pistol (a men’s only event), 25m Pistol (a women’s only event) and 10m Air Pistol (which has a men’s, women’s and a mixed category).
Shotgun events
The final category, Shotgun, is split into Skeet and Trap sports.
Skeet involves both male and female athletes firing at clay targets from the left and the right.
As the targets cross paths, the competitors must fire.
Meanwhile, Trap involves players aiming for targets being fired from a single spot, known as a “house”.
Nathan Hales won a gold medal representing the UK at the Paris 2024 Olympics for Trap shooting.
How many shots are fired in Olympic shooting?
Olympic shooting is as much about endurance as it is aiming for targets.
Olympians must hold their bodies steady for long periods of time, often in harsh weather conditions, and have tight control of their movements.
The amount of shots they must fire depends on the gun they are using in each event.
Generally, more shots are fired in Air Gun events.
Rifle shooting involves a participant firing 40 shots, where they would fire 60 shots in Air Rifle shooting.
In Pistol events, a an athlete is given two rounds of 30 shots.
In Air Pistol events, they get 60 shots in one timeframe.
Trap and Skeet Shotgun events differ too, as an athlete fires five rounds of 25 shots when playing Skeet.
In Trap events, each competitor has three rounds, with 25 shots in each round.
What's happening today at The Games?
WHAT TO WATCH TODAY...
TODAY’S BRIT MEDAL HOPES
Charlotte Worthington hopes to defend her freestyle BMX gold from Tokyo while Freestyle BMX world and European champ Kieran Reilly wants to add the Olympic title to his collection (12.40pm).
Team GB’s men and women will both be in contention in the rowing quadruple sculls finals (11.25am).
BRITS TO WATCH
Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix – daughter of First Dates star Fred – and Lois Toulson go in the 10m synchro diving final (10am).
In the hockey, Team GB’s women know a win against South Africa is vital after starting with defeats to Spain and Australia (9.30am).
Commonwealth bronze medallist Jemima Yeats-Brown begins her -70kg judo campaign, two years on from losing her sister Jenny to brain cancer (9.20am).
GLOBAL STARS TODAY
The all-star USA men’s basketball team, featuring LeBron James and Steph Curry, face Olympic debutants South Sudan (8pm).
The 100m men’s freestyle final could be a classic with Tokyo champ Caeleb Dressel, new 200m gold medallist David Popovici plus Brits Duncan Scott and Matthew Richards all in contention (9.15pm).
And Jessica Fox could win her second gold of Paris 2024 if she defends her C1 canoe slalom from three years ago (4.25pm).
FANCY SOMETHING DIFFERENT?
The beach volleyball is always spectacular viewing at any Olympics but this year even more so – because it is being played at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
There are matches all throughout the day from 8am to 9pm.
STATS MAD
6 – Canada’s women’s football team can still qualify from their group even if their appeal against the six-point deduction for flying a drone over New Zealand’s training fails. Canada play Colombia (8pm) trying to make it three wins from three.
Click here for all the events taking place at Paris 2024 today.
Follow all the action as it unfolds with our Paris 2024 Olympics LIVE blog.
