We’re in for a treat this year as we watch the best marksmen in the world compete for gold in the Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Shooting has been included in the modern Olympics since before 1930. 2024 shooting events will include 10m air rifle and 10m air pistol. With reigning champions and up-and-coming stars, the events are sure to be thrilling.
Top Air Rifle Competitors to Watch
The final Team USA competitors have yet to be chosen due to qualifying matches happening over the next few months, but we may see 2020 gold medal winner William Shaner back to defend his title as the world’s best air rifle marksman, along with Mary Tucker, who has won four ISSF World Cup gold medals.
Nancy Nancy of India won the Asian qualifying shoot. With her regional win, she secured a quota for India in the women’s 10M air rifle event. Divyansh Singh Panwar set a new record with his 253.7 point men’s 10M air rifle win in the ISSF World Cup 2024 in Ciro, Egypt. To qualify for the Olympic team, each country must have 6 men and 6 women with qualifying scores (quota) for each event.
All eyes will be on these sharpshooters as they square off to see who will scale the podium.
Top Air Pistol Competitors to Watch
Mary Tucker is also a top contender for a 10M air pistol gold medal. An Olympic veteran, she has mastered consistency and mental toughness. Teammate Nick Mowrer is another star to watch. Earning his spot on the National team at 17, he is known for his speed and precision. With the ability to fire 5 shots in 4.5 seconds, he is considered the dark horse to win gold in 2024.
Esha Singh secured another quota for India in the women’s 10M air pistol, while teammate Varun Tomar won the top position in the men’s 10M air pistol. These wins put India at the top of the Asia regional competitors and secured India the 14th quota position in the Olympic games.
These contenders will be hard to beat. Is Team USA up to the task?
The Specialized Equipment Behind Olympic Shooting
For air rifle and pistol events, competitors use specialized target air guns that are designed to minimize recoil and vibration, with adjustable features to customize the fit for each shooter.
So, what kind of rifles do competitors pick? Here are some of the top brands:
Feinwerkbau (FWB) is a powerhouse of innovation that helps athletes dominate the Olympic shooting events and USA’s Tucker go-to pick. They have mastered the art of personalization, ensuring each piece becomes an extension of the athlete wielding it. Every detail speaks to the heart of a champion.
Walther intricately weaves threads of tradition with groundbreaking innovation and was the brand Shaner used to win gold in the 2020 Olympics. Each piece carries a story of heritage, amplified by modern technological marvels. Competitors can face pressures with confidence; knowing their tailor-made equipment helps them maintain control and balance.
Morini air pistols are a testament to artistry. Every curve and line is designed to meld with the shooter and become an extension of their arm. The result is a shooting experience that feels intuitive and enables the athlete to focus fully on their technique.
Hammerli takes pride in its sophisticated designs, which merge aesthetics with functionality. The meticulous attention to ergonomics ensures that each shooter finds the perfect stance, grip, and balance, making each shot an extension of their ambition.
So, while this isn’t a yearly field target competition, long-range benchrest event, or our very own Pyramyd Cup, you’ll want to keep your eyes on the amazing athletes as they go for gold this year. Will Team USA dominate like they’ve often done in the past? However it shakes out, it’s sure to be an exciting showdown.
10meter olympics… Am I the only one who can watch olympic game 10meter rifle and be so excited as some footbal watchers are? 😀 I think it might be a strange experience for someone who does not know nothing about it hahahahahah.
I used to live in Colorado Springs and had the privilege to belong to a club at the Olympic Training Center that met twice a week to shoot sport pistol (.22rimfire) and a group that shot 10m air pistol.
I got to meet many fine shooters and they were all willing to share their knowledge and help newer shooters.
The 10m air rifle events were fun to watch, and I appreciate the level of skill and concentration It takes to compete at that level .
But to me, 10 m air rifle shooting is partly an equipment war.
Competitors showed up with two huge crates, one for the gun and one for all their equipment.
If you gained more than about 8 pounds, that special shooting jacket didn’t fit you anymore.
10 m air pistol on the other hand was entirely different.
Competitors showed up in tennis shoes and street clothes. And carrying the case for their air pistol.
No special shoes no special jackets or pants. No rest for the rifle.
That was always exciting to watch.
But so were the rapid fire events.
Ian.
That sounds like an awesome experience.
These are very exciting matches. Many shooting enthusiasts feel the same way you do. So, know you’re not alone in your enthusiasm.
My wife and I watch 10M. Our daughter shot in high school and now college. With the electronic scoring it’s actually pretty exciting. Lots of ups and downs seeing each shot and score in real time. We can watch it on our phones, iPads, or pull the match up on the big screen TV. You can watch on Megalinks. Following our daughter we have got to know a lot of the shooters so there I’d always someone to watch and cheer for on the weekends. http://results.megalink.no/#!/
It’s amazing how the technology improvements have also spurred greater precision and skillfulness. The immediate feedback is great. No more waiting for judges to tally the scores.
Electronic scoring is where it is at. If it was paper it wouldn’t be fun to watch. With electronic scoring using Megalinks I can use my phone, pull up the match I want to watch, select the shooters I want to watch, and have an electronic representation of their target and can see where each shot landed, and its score in real time. It really is a roller coaster. Your shooter is doing good, pulling ahead, then an off shot or two and they fall back, then they pull off some more good shots and claw their way back to the top (or maybe not). On the weekends when my daughter shoots a NCAA college match we will throw the match from the laptop to the big screen TV and have all the shooters from both teams pulled up constantly scanning to see who is pulling ahead or falling behind. Finals take the top 8 and that can get crazy as finals progress and shooters get eliminated until there is only one on top.