For outsiders to the shooting sports, many are baffled to learn that shooting has been a part of the Olympics since its inception in modern history, and has been in every Olympics except 1904 and 1928 making it a mainstay on the Olympic stage. Athens had been chosen to host the inaugural modern games in 1896 and what a success it was. The sporting event had the largest international participation of any sporting event to that date. Shooting at the 1896 Olympics was a lot different to the sports we know and love today, including 2 rifle and 3 pistol events of only men competing. Winners were awarded a silver medal with subsequent placings receiving nothing. Today these competitors have fully kitted out gear with expert teams guiding them to Olympic glory.
340 sharpshooters will take the Olympic stage competing across a total of 15 shooting events. The current program for the 2024 Olympics remains the same as the previous games but the competition will take place in Châteauroux at the National Shooting Center considered to be one of the best shooting complexes in the world from the 27th July to the 5th August. The action for the event will start early as the first medal award in the Olympic games is set to be in shooting.
The men’s and women’s competition both feature 6 events each with 3 mixed team events:
To find out the up to date schedule visit the Olympics website
A big congratulations to all the 10 Aussies that earned their selection to represent Australia at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Rifle Athletes: Dane Sampson, Jack Rossiter
Pistol Athletes: Elena Galiabovitch, Sergei Evglevski
Shotgun Athletes: Penny Smith, Catherine Skinner, Aislin Jones, Joshua Bell, Mitchell Iles, James Willett
We want to highlight some shooters to watch:
Joshua Bell makes his Olympic debut in Paris after a string of consistent performances on the world cup circuit. He will compete in the Men’s Skeet and Mixed Skeet Team events. Josh enjoys spending time with his wife, raising his two beautiful daughters and a quiet bath from time to time to unwind. Outside of shooting Josh is a Project Manager in the building & construction industry.
Aislin Jones is making her second appearance after being Australia’s youngest ever Olympic shooter (16 years and 179 days at opening ceremony) during the 2016 Rio Olympics where she finished 17th. Aislin was able to secure her place for Pairs 2024 with Gold at the Oceania Championships in Brisbane. She will compete in Women’s Skeet as well as Mixed Skeet team. When Aislin is not busy shooting she enjoys running with her labrador and will run her first marathon in Paris after the event.
Many shooters over the years prefer the Beretta DT11, used by the world’s best clay shooters. Renowned for it’s accuracy, balance & handling, and long-lasting resistance. Beretta has been a staple at many Olympics, Vincent Hancock US 3x Olympic Gold Medallist in Skeet famously won his first gold at the 2008 Beijing Games with a DT10 off the shelf, and has since moved to a DT11. Most recently at Chateauroux, France, July 30th 2024 – Extraordinary success for Beretta in the Men’s Trap finals: Nathan Hales (GBR), Ying Qi (CHN) and Jean Pierre Brol Cardenas (GUA) all three took a Beretta DT11 shotgun to the highest steps of the Olympus, taking home the gold, silver and bronze.
The Paris 2024 Shooting events promise an exciting display of skill and determination. With a diverse range of disciplines, captivating athletes, and cutting-edge technology, this is a competition you won’t want to miss. So, lock, load, and prepare to be awestruck by the pursuit of Olympic glory!
We will be cheering on our Australian athletes whilst they honourably represent the nation.
