Para-shooting at Tokyo Paralympics: All you need to know

Matt Skelhon started competitive shooting in 2006 and won Paralympic gold two years later

Key information

Dates: 30 August-5 September

Venue: Asaka Shooting Range

Gold medals on offer: 13

How does it work?

Para-shooting events at the Paralympics are held in both pistol and rifle.

Of the 13 Paralympic shooting events, seven are mixed while there are three competitions each for men and women.

Air pistol is shot over 10 metres (male and female), 25m and 50m (both mixed events)

P1 - Men's 10m air pistol SH1

P2 - Women's 10m air pistol SH1

P3 - Mixed 25m pistol SH1

P4 - Mixed 50m pistol SH1

In rifle there are 10m events in both standing and prone positions plus prone and three-position events (standing, prone and kneeling) over 50m.

R1 - Men's 10m air rifle standing SH1

R2 - Women's 10m air rifle standing SH1

R3 - Mixed 10m air rifle prone SH1

R4 - Mixed 10m air rifle standing SH2

R5 - Mixed 10m air rifle prone SH2

R6 - Mixed 50m rifle prone SH1

R7 - Men's 50m rifle 3 positions SH1

R8 - Women's 50m rifle 3 positions SH1

R9 - Mixed 50m rifle prone SH2

Shooting uses a classification system which enables athletes from different impairment groups with the same level of functional ability to compete together.

Pistol shooters compete in the SH1 category and will have upper and/or lower limb impairment.

Rifle shooters compete in either the SH1 or SH2 category. SH1 athletes have lower limb impairments while SH2 have upper limb impairments which mean they use a shooting stand to support the rifle and may also have lower limb impairments

In qualification, each competitor takes a specified number of shots at the target - 120 in the three-position events and 60 in the remaining events - in a set time period. Qualifying for the three-position events takes a maximum of two hours and 45 minutes while the other events are around an hour to an hour and a quarter.

The target consists of 10 concentric scoring rings, with the central ring worth 10 points and the outside ring worth one.

Targets vary in size depending on the event. In the 10m air rifle event the whole target is 4.5cm in diameter and the central ring is just half a millimetre across.

After the qualification round the eight top-scoring athletes go through to the final where all scores are reset to zero. The shots in the final are scored to one decimal place, with a top score of 10.9.

After the first 12 shots, and every two shots thereafter, the lowest place shooter is eliminated until only two remain for the final two shots.

Who are the British medal hopes?

Matt Skelhon missed out on a medal in Rio, much to his disappointment, and after winning two golds at the 2018 Worlds in the R3 and R6 rifle events has a point to prove here. The R9 trio of Ryan Cockbill, James Bevis and Tim Jeffrey won team gold at the Worlds but with no team event in Tokyo, they will hope to shine in the individual event.

Who are the other challengers?

China are traditionally strong and topped the medal table in London and Rio - Chao Dong will be going for a third gold in a row in the R1 men's 10m air rifle standing SH12. But Ukraine were the leading nation at the 2019 World Championships thanks to double gold for pistol shooter Oleksii Denysiuk and another victory for rifle shooter Vitali Plakushchyi.

Did you know?

China's Cuiping Zhang is one of the sport's most successful athletes and is responsible for a quarter of her nation's 36 Paralympic medals in the sport with with nine (four golds, three silvers, two bronze) over three Games. In Rio, she was victorious in the R6 event and also in the R8 where she will be going for a third gold in a row.

ParalympicsGB Rio 2016 medals

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