China's first Olympic gold medal 40 years ago! The ten rings in the shooting competition turned out to be so small? !

Review expert: Peng Guoqiu, deputy chief physician of the Fourth Medical Center of the General Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army

40 Years since the First Olympic Gold Medal

The 2024 Paris Olympics has officially opened. In the 10m air rifle mixed team competition held on July 27, Beijing time, Chinese athletes Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao won the championship, winning the first gold medal of the Chinese delegation in the Paris Olympics. This is also the first gold medal produced in the Paris Olympics .

40 years, continuing the glory of the country

From 1984 to 2024, for 40 years, the shooting team athletes have continued to write the glory of the country.

Source: @People's Daily

However, we will never forget the birth of the first gold medal. It was on July 29, 40 years ago, at the Los Angeles Olympics, Chinese athlete Xu Haifeng won the championship in the men's slow-fire pistol competition with a total score of 566, breaking China's "zero" Olympic gold medal record . This gold medal that changed China's Olympic history represents not only the athlete's personal glory, but also symbolizes the rise of the country and the rejuvenation of the nation.

Xu Haifeng won the championship Source: Xinhua News Agency

So, how much do you know about shooting competitions? How big are the target papers in shooting competitions? What do shooting athletes rely on to hit the target accurately? Today, let's go into the world of guns and targets.

History of shooting competitions

Shooting has been one of the events in the first modern Olympic Games since 1896. It is one of the oldest events in Olympic history, having been absent from the 1904 and 1928 Olympic Games. Shooting competitions have witnessed the birth of many legendary athletes and also reflected the continuous advancement of shooting sports technology and the evolution of rules.

Shooting competitions are divided into three events: rifle, pistol and skeet shooting . Rifle and pistol competitions are held on a shooting range, with athletes shooting at distances of 10 meters, 25 meters and 50 meters from the shooting target. There are three shooting positions: kneeling (the athlete kneels on one knee and supports the gun with the other knee), prone and standing. Some competitions require all three shooting positions at the same time. In order to ensure accurate shooting, athletes need to use various relaxation techniques to reduce their heart rate and get the bullet as close to the center of the target as possible.

Skeet shooting competitions are held outdoors, and athletes need to shoot down targets that fly from different directions and angles. This sport requires athletes to have a high degree of concentration, decision-making ability and sharp reaction ability.

How big is the target paper?

How big is the target paper in a shooting competition? Can the athletes see the target clearly? In fact, the target paper ten meters away is just a fuzzy black dot.

What you think and what it actually is Source: Weibo

According to the International Shooting Federation, the 10-meter air rifle target paper is a square with a total side length of 80 mm. The ten rings we often talk about, that is, the bull's eye of the target paper, are only 0.5 mm in diameter.

Comparison of target paper and 1 yuan coin Source: @江宁公安在线

A 10-meter air rifle target was printed on an A4 paper and then placed 10 meters away. The diameter of one ring on the target paper was only 4.55cm, and the diameter of the bull's eye point, which had the highest 10.9 rings, was only 0.5mm. At 10 meters away, a one-yuan coin would only give you five rings.

Observing targets at different distances Source: Wuhan Science and Technology Museum

Moreover, although the air rifle has a scope, it does not have a magnifying function. How can a shooter hit the target accurately when the target is so small and so far away?

Feeling first?

Xu Haifeng once said that for shooting athletes, the most important thing is feeling, not vision. Xu Haifeng also joked that he used to select athletes with poor eyesight. When the vision is blurred, they will not pay too much attention to the center of the target, but will use all their energy to maintain their balance and stability.

Balance and stability

In shooting competitions, breathing and heartbeat have a greater impact on athletes, so wearing professional shooting suits is to increase their own stability and minimize the impact of various aspects . At the same time, the appearance of the shooting suit is mainly composed of two layers of thick canvas, so the shooting suit designed in this way will become very strong, and the material used in the shooting suit is also shockproof. The shooting pants of shooting athletes also have the function of protecting the knees, which can help athletes better protect themselves when shooting.

Chinese duo Huang Yuting/Sheng Lihao wearing professional shooting suits during the competition Source: CCTV5

Strengthen your own training <br /> Olympic champion Du Li once said that although her eyesight is not a problem, balance and stability are indeed the most important for shooting athletes. Du Li gave an example, saying that if you put your right foot on top of your left foot, close your eyes, and stretch your arms out, most people may only be able to stand for a few dozen seconds before they can no longer maintain balance. But for professional shooting athletes, standing for a few minutes or even more than ten minutes is no problem.

The National Rifle and Pistol Shooting Team is participating in winter training. Source: National Rifle and Pistol Shooting Team

The power of inheritance continues. 40 years after the first Olympic gold medal, this is the answer of generations of Chinese Olympic athletes.

Looking back over the past 40 years, generation after generation of Chinese Olympic athletes have stood on the podium under the five-star red flag to witness the glory and the starry sea of ​​the Chinese people's battles in the Olympics.

I wish the Olympic athletes continued success!