About
Olympic history abounds with tales of athletes who overcame
crippling adversity to win gold medals, but Karoly Takacs' comeback may be the
best. Takacs was part of Hungary's world-champion pistol-shooting team in 1938
when an army grenade exploded in his right hand. Ten years later, he won the
first two golds in rapid-fire pistol - after teaching himself to shoot
left-handed.
In a sport where the bullseye looks about the size of the
full stop at the end of this sentence, a sport where shooters compete amid a
cacophony of noise and still concentrate on firing between heartbeats, Takacs'
achievement tests the imagination.
From just three shooting events at the 1896 Olympic Games
to 17 today, the sport has grown steadily. In part this leap can be ascribed to
advances in the technology of firearms and equipment, which have led to constant
changes in the shooting competition. But it can also be ascribed to the passion
shooters have for their sport.
Competition
At the Olympics there are 15 events: seven for women and
ten for men.
The shooting events are divided into four different groups:
shotgun, rifle, pistol and running-target events. The shotgun events see
competitors shoot at clay targets propelled in different directions. The rifle
and pistol events are held on shooting ranges with competitors aiming at targets
from distances of 10 metres, 25 metres and 50 metres.
List of events
-- 10m air pistol (60 shots) Men
-- 10m air rifle (60 shots) Men
-- 25m rapid fire pistol (60 shot Men
-- 50m pistol (60 shots) Men
-- 50m rifle 3 positions (3x40 sh Men
-- 50m rifle prone (60 shots) Men
-- double trap (150 targets) Men
-- skeet (125 targets) Men
-- trap (125 targets) Men
--10m air pistol (40 shots) Women
-- 10m air rifle (40 shots) Women
-- 25m pistol (30+30 shots) Women
-- 50m rifle 3 positions (3x20 shots) Women
-- skeet (75 targets) Women
-- trap (75 targets) Women
Credit: IOC
For further info., please visit http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/programme/index_uk.asp?SportCode=SH.
|
