Paris 2024: Introduction to shooting Para sport

Welcome to week 13 of Paris 2024 Sport Weeks. This week, everything you need to know about shooting Para sport – the ultimate test of accuracy and control.

The Paris 2024 Paralympics, which will open on 28 August, will see up to 160 athletes from around the world showcasing their talent and technique. There will be 13 medal events taking place at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in central France.

Brief history of shooting Para sport

Shooting Para sport has featured at every Paralympic Games since 1976 and is now practiced by athletes in more than 75 countries.

In the sport’s Paralympic debut at Toronto 1976, 39 athletes from 14 countries competed in three medal events. Competing at a home Games, Canada’s R. Thibodeau was the first Paralympic champion in the sport as he topped the podium in the mixed rifle 1A-1C. 

Since then, more than 30 National Paralympic Committees have won medals at the Games. Sweden tops the all-time medals table with more than 20 golds, followed by the Republic of Korea and China.

With 27 medals including 17 golds, Jonas Jacobsson of Sweden is the most decorated shooter of all time. The most successful female athlete is Australia’s Elizabeth Kosmala, who won nine golds and three silvers between 1976 and 1988.

Held 45 years after the sport’s Paralympic debut, Tokyo 2020 featured 154 athletes from 44 National Paralympic Committees.

What to watch in shooting Para sport

In shooting Para sport, athletes are known for their steady hand, concentration and emotional control. They use focused and controlled breathing to reduce their heart rate and improve stability and high performance.

At the Paralympic Games, shooters compete in rifle and pistol events from 10 metres, 25 metres and 50 metres in men’s, women’s and mixed competition events. Athletes try to shoot closest to the centre of a 10-ring target – the winner is the athlete with the most shots nearest the centre.

In some events scores can be subdivided to the decimal level, with the very centre of the target worth 10.9 - the highest possible score per shot.

The top eight athletes compete in the final, and competitors with the lowest scores are eliminated until a duel between two shooters to determine the gold and silver medallists.

In pistol events, athletes shoot one arm unsupported, either from a seated or standing position.

In rifle events, athletes can shoot in a standing, kneeling or prone position. All three positions can be adapted – for example, all three positions can be shot from a wheelchair.

There are two sport classes in shooting Para sport.

In the SH1 category, athletes can use their shooting arm(s) in rifle or pistol events. They may have an impairment in their upper and/or lower body.

In SH2, athletes compete in only rifle events and use a shooting stand to support the rifle. These athletes typically have an impairment in the upper limb and/or lower limb.

Memorable Paralympic moments

At London 2012, Sweden’s Jonas Jacobsson took gold and silver in the men’s R7 (50m rifle 3 positions – SH1) and R1 (50m air rifle standing – SH1), respectively, to clinch medals at nine straight Paralympics, a run dating back to Arnhem 1980.

At the same Games, Olivera Nakovska-Bikova gave North Macedonia its first Paralympic gold medal in 20 years after winning the women’s P2 (10m Air Pistol – SH1). She celebrated with her coach, Branimir Jovanovski, who won the only other Paralympic gold medal for their country back at Barcelona 1992.

Four years later, Sareh Javanmardidodmani became the first Iranian woman to win a title in shooting with her gold in the women’s P2 (10m air pistol – SH1) at Rio 2016. Five days later, she took another gold in the P4 (mixed 50m pistol – SH1).

At Tokyo 2020, China finished atop the medals table in the sport for the third consecutive Games, winning four of the 13 gold medals up for grabs. China’s rifle great Zhang Cuiping earned her fifth Paralympic gold medal, while Dong Chao captured his third gold by winning in style in the Japanese capital.

Avani Lekhara also became India’s first-ever female Paralympic champion. She won the R2 women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event, beating Zhang in the ultimate duel.

An historic medal too for Natascha Hiltrop, who ended Germany’s 17-year wait for a Paralympic gold medal in shooting Para sport when she won gold in the R3 – mixed 10m air rifle prone SH1 finals.

Paris 2024 programme

Men’s events

Rifle:

R1 – 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1

R7 – 50m Rifle 3 positions SH1

Pistol:

P1 – 10m Air Pistol SH1

Women’s events

Rifle:

R2 – 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1

R8 – 50m Rifle 3 positions SH1

Pistol:

P2 – 10m Air Pistol SH1

Mixed/Open events

Rifle:

R3 – 10m Air Rifle Prone SH1

R4 – 10m Air Rifle Standing SH2

R5 – 10m Air Rifle Prone SH2

R6 – 50m Rifle Prone SH1

R9 – 50m Rifle Prone SH2

Pistol:

P3 – 25m Pistol SH1

P4 – 50m Pistol SH1

Paris 2024 venue

Chateauroux Shooting Centre will witness history made in shooting Para sport, when the Games open in 100 days.

Located in Chateauroux in central France, the facility opened in 2018 as one of the largest shooting venues in Europe and will continue to be used as a venue for international events after the Paralympics. World Cup competitions in shooting Para sport also took place at this venue in 2018 and 2022.

It is equipped with several shooting ranges, making it a perfect venue to host all 13 Paralympic events.