India have pinned their hopes on shooting in Tokyo 2020 Olympics, with the country having a good record in the last couple of Games since 2004.
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Shooting has been one of the key sports for India in the Olympics. The event has fetched them some medals, including one historic gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In Tokyo 2020 Olympics, shooting will once again be the major event by which India can expect a couple of medals. The shooting contingent is incredibly strong this time from India, with the likes of Saurabh Chaudhary, Anjum Moudgil, Rahi Sarnobet, and Manu Bhaker all vying for supremacy. There is massive hope on Chaudhary, Bhaker, and Sarnobet after the good show in the ISSF shooting World Cup held in Croatia.
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore of India won the first medal in shooting when he clinched the silver in 2004 Athens Olympics. But, history was created in 2008 when Abhinav Bindra became the first individual gold medal winner in the history of India. That kickstarted a revolution in shooting and Vijay Kumar continued the legacy in 2012 along with Gagan Narang.
However, there are multiple disciplines in shooting. These are incredibly skillful and tricky. Here is the explainer on each of the disciplines of shooting in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. One needs to understand that the disciplines are there in both men and women.
Basically, the classifications in shooting are all dependent on the distance that the player stands from the target. It also depends upon the calibration of the gun. Thus, a 10-m air rifle event means this is shot over a distance of 10 meters (10.94 yards) from a standing position with a 4.5 mm (0.177 in) calibre air rifle. It has a maximum weight of 5.5 kg (12.13 lb). The use of specialized clothing is allowed to improve the stability of the shooting position and prevent chronic back injury. The injury can be caused by the asymmetric offset load on the spine when the rifle is held in position. Abhinav Bindra won the gold medal in 2008 Beijing in this discipline.
As the name suggests, this shooting event is based upon the position. It consists of the kneeling, prone, and standing positions, fired in that order, traditionally with 3×40 shots for men and 3×20 shots for women. In January 2018, the number of shots was equalized between genders with the Women’s 3×20 being abolished in favour of a 3×40 match identical to the men’s event. There is a time limit of two hours and 45 minutes for the men and an hour less for the women. These time limits are applicable to matches conducted using electronic targets; longer times are used if the slower manual scoring system is used. In the past, women’s rifles weighed at 6.5 kgs while men had 8 kg rifles. This weight limit has also been abolished. This event has been there in the Olympic Games since 1984 Los Angeles.
The 10-meter air pistol is similar to the 10-meter air rifle event. It is shot with the same gun and distance. However, this is where the similarities end. It must be operated by one hand only from a standing, unsupported position. The shooter decides his or her own tempo as long as the maximum time is not exceeded. The match consists of a qualification round of 60 competition shots within 75 minutes. It is a precision shooting event.
This is the oldest even in the history of the Olympics and it has been there since 1896. From 1896 to World War 2, there were plenty of rule changes. From that point on till 2004, the event was played with the .22 short pistol. It was played with .22 Long Range Pistol from 2005. A series (or string) consists of five shots fired at one target each within a limited time. The targets stand next to each other at a 25m distance from the shooter. All firing must be done with one unsupported hand. When the targets appear or when the green light comes on, the competitor must raise his arm from a 45-degree angle starting position and fire his five shots. If a shot is too late, it will score as a miss.
There are three different time limits for the series: eight seconds, six seconds, and four seconds. A stage consists of two series of each type. A full course of fire comprises a total of 60 shots. The total maximum score is 600. In the 2012 London Olympics, Vijay Kumar, who is an honorary captain in the Indian Army, secured the silver medal in this discipline.
This event is specifically only for women shooters. It is shot with a .22-caliber sport pistol instead of the larger-caliber guns men used. This is also a precision event.
Trap shotgun shooting is a more specialized form of shooting, which is close to hunting targets. It is one of the three major disciplines of competitive clay pigeon shooting. Trapshooting is typically shot with a 12 gauge shotgun. The ammunition that is used in the shotgun is called shotshell which weighs about 32 grams. The olympic trap uses 15 fixed-angle machines.
There are six shooters, one to each station, with the sixth shooter initially starting at a holding station immediately behind shooter number one. At the beginning of the first round of the day, test firing is allowed at the referee’s permission. Upon receiving the start signal, the first shooter has 10 seconds to call for his target. After firing at his target, the first shooter waits for the second shooter to complete firing, then moves to station two, with the shooter on station six smoothly moving to station one. This procedure continues through the squad until the completion of the round.
Skeet shooting is an activity where participants, using shotguns, attempt to break clay targets mechanically flung into the air from two fixed stations at high speed from a variety of angles. There is a random delay of between zero to three seconds after the shooter has called for the target. The shooter must hold his gun so that the buttstock is at mid-torso level until the target appears.
