Paris 2024 Shooting Preview: China seeks to repeat Tokyo glory

BEIJING, July 20 (Xinhua) -- The shooting events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will produce a total of 15 gold medals. Powerhouses including China, India, the United States and South Korea are gearing up for the final sprint in their preparations with the Games just a week away.

A total of 342 athletes from 82 teams will compete in the Olympic shooting events in Chateauroux, 250 kilometers south of Paris. Nino Salukvadze, a female 25m pistol shooter from Georgia, will be participating in her 10th consecutive Olympics since 1988.

Despite her experience, Salukvadze is not the oldest shooter at the Paris Olympics. That distinction falls to 60-year-old Leonel Martinez of Venezuela, who will compete in men's trap, and against the youngest shooter of Paris 2024, Iran's 15-year-old Mohammad Beravan.

On the entry list are also two athletes from the IOC Refugee Team, Edilio Centro Nieves (women's 10m air pistol) and Luna Solomon (women's 10m air rifle), who also participated in the Tokyo Olympics.

Winning a total of 26 Olympic gold medals, including four in Tokyo, China will send 21 top shooters to Paris 2024 in hope of repeating its glory from three years ago. Rifle and pistol events are the medal pool for China, who secured full quotas early on in the qualifications, while seven shotgun shooters will seek breakthroughs, with the last Olympic gold in the disciple won by Zhang Shan in 1992.

The 10m air rifle mixed team event could potentially see China win its first gold at the Paris Olympics. All four shooters in this event - Huang Yuting, Sheng Lihao, Han Jiayu and Du Linshu - are born after 2000. Apart from Sheng, who took silver at the Tokyo Olympics, the other three will be making their Olympic debuts, yet Huang and Han are both world champions. Liu Yukun, world record holder of men's rifle 3 positions, is also among the favorites in Paris.

The air pistol events will be led by Olympic champion Jiang Ranxin and world champion Zhang Bowen, both of whom competed at the Tokyo Olympics. In the men's 25m rapid fire pistol, 34-year-old Li Yuehong will be hoping third time's a charm, after taking bronze medals at the previous two Olympics.

Also fielding 21 shooters is India, who had a disappointing trip to Tokyo. As India boasts young talents in rifle and pistol events just as China does, the Chateauroux Shooting Center will likely witness several showdowns between the two nations.

Another traditional powerhouse, the United States, will send 17 shooters, including the legendary Vincent Hancock. Born in 1989, Hancock rose to fame at a young age, winning his first Olympic title in the men's skeet at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He successfully defended his title in the 2012 London Olympics, becoming the first male skeet shooter to achieve back-to-back victories in Olympic history. Three years ago, Hancock won his third Olympic gold in Tokyo. This time, he is aiming for his fourth Olympic title.

South Korea, with 16 shooters, is highly competitive in pistol events, particularly in the women's 25m pistol as Yang Ji-in and Kim Ye-ji have set world records.

As the host nation, France will have 15 athletes competing in shooting events, including reigning men's 25m rapid fire pistol Olympic champion Jean Quiquampoix and Rio silver medalist Clement Bessaguet. Italy will also have 15 athletes competing, with a strong presence in the skeet event where multiple athletes have the potential to compete for medals. Additionally, teams such as Britain, Germany and Serbia also have the capability to win medals in certain events.

Speaking of the upcoming Paris Olympics, president of the International Shooting Sport Federation Luciano Rossi said: "We want to showcase how shooting sports combine tradition with innovation, providing an inclusive and diverse environment where athletes from all backgrounds can excel. Our goal is to inspire the next generation of shooters and elevate the sport's global profile."

Shooting events were one of the nine competitions at the first modern Olympics in 1896. Except in 1904 and 1928, shooting events have been featured at every Summer Olympics. At this year's Paris Olympics, shooting events will make their 28th appearance at the Olympic Games.