Paralympics 2024: A guide to Shooting Para-sport at the Paris Games
Slovakia's Veronika Vadovicova is one of the sport's most experienced campaigners
- Published
Key information
Dates: 30 August-5 September
Venue: Chateauroux Shooting Centre
Gold medals on offer: 13
What are the rules of Paralympic shooting?
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.
Which athletes will be competing for GB in Paris?
Beijing gold medallist Matt Skelhon admitted that he found the experience of Tokyo tough to deal with and he struggled with his performance.
But he has regrouped well and goes to France as the world and European champion in the R6 mixed 50m rifle prone SH1 event.
Ryan Cockbill claimed a bronze medal in the R4 mixed 10m air rifle standing SH2 event at the 2022 Worlds and will aim to add to that while Tim Jeffrey, who reached three finals in Tokyo, will also aim for a first medal.
And the squad's sole pistol shooter Issy Bailey will be aiming to impress at her third Games.
Who are the other challengers?
China, Serbia and India filled the top three places in the sport's medal table at the Tokyo Games with Avani Lekhara becoming the first Indian woman to win Paralympic gold thanks to her victory in the R2 10m air rifle SH1 event.
French hopes are high with Tanguy de la Forest a double world champion but the veteran, who will be competing in his sixth Games, has yet to win a Paralympic medal.
His team-mates Cedric Fevre, Didier Richard and Pierre Guillaume-Sage will also be hoping to make home advantage count.
And expect big performances from seasoned campaigners like Slovakia's Veronika Vadovicova, Sweden's Anna Benson and Korea's Jinho Park and Jangho Lee.
Did you know?
The United Arab Emirates have only won five Paralympic gold medals since they made their Games debut in 1992 with shooter Abdullah Sultan Alaryani winning two of those along with three silver medals.
Alaryani was a member of his country's shooting team before a car accident in 2001. He later moved to Para-sport and will be aiming to retain his R7 Men's 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 title in France.
ParalympicsGB Tokyo 2020 medals
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