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Can a sniper win a gold medal in the shooting competition at the Olympics?

Can a sniper win a gold medal in the shooting competition at the Olympics?

In the air rifle competition of this Olympic Games, "Sister Atiao" Huang Yuting and "Brother Dry Rice" Sheng Lihao won 2 golds and 1 silver; In the air pistol final, Xie Yu, the "Song of the Night Rose", also won the championship with a score of 240.9 rings. Yesterday, in the men's 50-meter rifle three-position competition, player Liu Yukun won another gold.

Hitting the bullseye multiple times from a distance of 10 meters to 50 meters does not sound difficult. At the very least, a shooting competition is like a "game" compared to killing an enemy soldier from a kilometer away.

If snipers are really sent to the Olympics, will the athletes be "abused"?

Can a sniper win a gold medal in the shooting competition at the Olympics?

In the mixed team 10m air pistol competition, Turkey athlete Yusuf · Dikeç was ridiculed by netizens as a "professional killer" because of his sharp posture with one hand in his pocket

accuracy requirements of the game,

Not generally high

The target of the shooting competition is not a dartboard that people play with, or a humanoid target used by snipers in training, it is far smaller than expected.

Taking the most technical 10-meter air rifle event as an example, the entire target diameter is only 45.5mm, which is only slightly larger than a 1 yuan coin. The diameter of the bullseye's 10 rings is even more outrageous, at only 0.5 mm, which is equivalent to the size of an ink dot with a ballpoint pen [1].

Can a sniper win a gold medal in the shooting competition at the Olympics?

Schematic diagram of the size of the 10-cent coin and the target of the 10-meter air rifle event / airgundepot.com

Over the years, the International Shooting Federation (ISSF) has also been making improvements to the rules of shooting, and the requirements for precision and "good rings" have become more stringent, and the level of the players has also increased.

This year, all 10m air rifle competitors scored more than 600 points in 60 shots in the qualifying round, which means that they scored at least 10 rings per shot on average[2]. And Sheng Lihao's 10.9 rings without earbuds are even more extreme.

The diameter of the bullet in an air rifle is 4.5 mm[3], and the ordinary 10 rings only need to be rubbed anywhere on the edge of the 10 rings to the 0.5 mm round edge, which may seem to outsiders to fall between 8-9 rings. But the 10.9 ring means that the very center of the bullet falls into the 0.5mm circle and not just "rub the edge".

The extreme demand for precision in shooting competitions is also reflected in the calculation of shooting results.

The scoring systems of the Olympic Games and most ISSF-certified shooting ranges are mostly electronic targets plus laser systems, which require three rounds of rigorous screening before they can be used on the field, with an accuracy of almost in the micron range[4].

With such extreme precision, the slightest wobble of the barrel can have a significant impact on performance.

Can a sniper win a gold medal in the shooting competition at the Olympics?

When shooting, the player will generally start to move down from the top of the bull's-eye until the sight gradually approaches the bull's-eye of the 10.9 ring, and the curve in the figure is the movement trajectory of the player's aiming line before shooting measured by the computer / YouTube

Studies have shown that an athlete's air rifle firing angle deviates by 0.016° and the 10-ring score will not appear on the target [5]. Bringing the same angular deviation to a shooting situation at a distance of 1000 meters, the original millimeter deviation will be expanded to about 27cm, but it is still more than enough to hit a person of average height, standing upright or half-squatting.

In other words, adding the influencing factor of distance, the stability of the guns of "Brother Ganfan" and "Sister Atiao" is still considerable.

What's more, long-range sniper records were obtained with the assistance of snipers with various magnifying glasses, stability maintenance equipment, and measuring instruments [6]. At the Olympics, shooters are basically on their own.

[3] Tournament guns also have a rudimentary sight and allow players to install color filters or polarizers according to their own habits, but are absolutely forbidden to use any aiming system, optical sight, or magnifier that contains optical enhancements.

On the field, whether it is the timing or accuracy of the shot, it is up to the players to "understand" themselves.

More important than eyesight, "gun sense".

In this case, it is not the eyesight that plays a major role, because seeing the target clearly is not important for hitting the 10 rings [7].

In fact, just by the "eyes" of the shooters, it is likely that they will not be able to see clearly as you do.

Normal visual acuity is 1.0 according to a standard visual acuity chart recorded in decimal records [8]. However, Xu Haifeng, a famous mainland shooter, has a vision of only 0.7 in his right eye (aiming eye), Wang Yifu, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in 10m air pistol, has a vision of only 0.4, and Li Chaoyang, who broke the world record in men's 60-round prone shooting at the 6th National Games, has a vision of only 0.2 and 0.3, and his myopia is as high as more than 300 degrees [9].

In shooting sports, too good vision can be a distraction [9].

In the Olympic Games, in addition to moving targets, ring target shooting is a "point shot" that shoots static targets. In order to hit the bull's-eye, the focus should not be on the distant target, but on the near sight, so that the target is "virtual and real" [10]. That is, let the visual focus be more on the sight and let the target become a blurred background. However, people with good eyesight tend to aim at distant targets, making them the focal point of vision.

In contrast, skeet shooting, in events such as "skeet racing", where the target is in motion, requires athletes to focus more on distant targets than near sights [10]. Because the visual range of the sight is very limited, there is only a small circle, and the target can fly out of that range with a single click. If you chase the target through the sight, it will make the athlete very passive.

Can a sniper win a gold medal in the shooting competition at the Olympics?

A player raises a gun at a skeet tournament / Wikimedia Commons

Most of the shooting events in the Olympic Games are dominated by static targets, which means that the most important thing for athletes to adapt to is the visual focus mode of close-range static target shooting.

But in the actual combat of snipers, their targets are people from afar, whether they are facing hostage-taking robbers or enemy troops in ambush, no one dares to guarantee that the other party will not suddenly turn their heads in excitement.

In addition, the selection of snipers still requires eyesight, after all, hitting the target is not the only important skill of a sniper.

The ability to observe a target person from a distance, and the ability of both eyes to adapt when moving through different light and dark environments, all put forward certain requirements for vision. According to the enrollment standards of the mainland armed police special police, it is impossible to be selected if the unaided visual acuity is less than 0.3 and the myopia exceeds 300 degrees [11].

In the case of better eyesight, the sniper is likely to switch from the customary long-range sniping to a more "pediatric" game at close range, and the sniper is likely to switch from a target background to a target-focused visual mode in the first second before the gun is fired, resulting in a greater deviation.

In order to avoid a similar situation themselves, the athletes simply tried all the tricks.

Some sighted shooters even wear low-level farsightedness glasses and grounded glass glasses to make themselves unable to see their targets clearly, so they pin more hope on doing a good job [12].

The so-called "good action" is more metaphysical to say "gun sense".

During shooting training, the coach will ask the athletes to form a mindfulness of the gun and achieve the realm of "man and gun as one". Athletes will observe, smell, touch, hold, and "empty gun preview" according to the standard gun posture when the gun is empty. At the same time, during the live-fire exercise, they will carefully experience the feeling of loading and gusset [13].

Can a sniper win a gold medal in the shooting competition at the Olympics?

The Turkey shooter on the right is dressed very "modestly", but he won a silver medal at this Olympics with his gun sense

The shape, weight, center of gravity, jump, recoil and other performance characteristics of the gun will affect the formation of the "gun feel" [13]. In other words, the change in the characteristics of the gun will make the original "gun feeling" fail, which is one of the reasons why snipers cannot win the gold medal as soon as they play.

For example, the domestically produced 7.62mm high-precision sniper rifle, which is commonly equipped by the mainland armed police force, has a total length of 1,150 mm and a weight of 6.5 kg [14]. Of the four types of rifles used in the rifle shooting competition, the weight of the 10-meter air rifle and the 300-meter standard rifle must not exceed 5.5 kg, with the former having a total length of 850 mm and the latter having a barrel of 762 mm [3].

For snipers who are accustomed to the "big guy", the temperament of a lightweight rifle is really a bit difficult to fathom.

arenas and battlefields,

Each has its own challenges

Not only are the weapons in their hands no longer the familiar ones, but the environment in which snipers and athletes face is also very different.

Shooting a completely static target in a calm environment may seem much easier than a battlefield where life and death are different, but the two environments have different requirements for people.

At the Olympic Games, where countless media and spectators are watching, what shooters need is a kind of "blunt sensibility".

Shooting sports are static sports that test the physical, mental, and nervous system endurance of athletes [15]. [13] The competition requires shooters to be as mindful of the gun as possible, to start from scratch without judgment.

Focusing on yourself and shielding the environment is the winning rule on the field.

It's no wonder that "Brother Ganfan" and "Sister Atiao" are indifferent whether they shoot 10.9 rings or win gold. Sheng Lihao didn't even wear a hat or earplugs when he shot.

But snipers, on the other hand, must judge whether their shot hit the target and where it hit, and it is impossible to "start from scratch". After all, if the first shot misses, the subsequent refill method needs to be adjusted according to the specific behavior of the target.

Compared to shooting athletes, snipers in missions have an extra job: camouflage. In the 2022 United States Army Field Manual FM 3-0, it is emphasized that the Army must have the skills to camouflage and cover in natural environments and man-made structures [16].

Can a sniper win a gold medal in the shooting competition at the Olympics?

When ambushed in the forest, military snipers usually hide their whereabouts by wearing camouflage uniforms and covering their bodies and weapons with vegetation / Pexels

This requires the sniper to see all directions, listen to all directions, and have a keen awareness of the enemy's movements and changes in the surrounding environment. After all, an accidental exposure can kill the opponent at gunpoint.

In addition, shooters and snipers do not shoot at the same pace.

The shooting competition is more of a test of the rhythm of shooting multiple bullets in a short period of time.

[18] [18] The most intensive event was the 25-meter rapid-fire pistol event, in which the shooter had to fire continuously for short periods of 8, 6, and 4 seconds, with 30 rounds per round [18]. The firing time is relatively long, and the lower frequency of firing is the 50-meter rifle in three positions, and it is necessary to shoot 40 rounds in each of the three positions in a period of at least 2 hours and 45 minutes, that is, 7 rounds every 10 minutes [17].

Can a sniper win a gold medal in the shooting competition at the Olympics?

Gold France medalist Jean Quiquampoix shoots · the men's 25m rapid-fire pistol final at Rio 2016 / Olympics

Military snipers, on the other hand, may need to go through long journeys or survival challenges before lurking somewhere to continue fighting. This time span can be extended to a month or more. Zhang Taofang, known as the "Sniper God", once set the highest record for the single record of a sniper in the Volunteer Army, consuming 442 rounds of ammunition in 32 days, killing 214 enemies, with an average of 13 rounds of ammunition per day [18].

Even SWAT snipers who race against the clock at a crime scene shoot at a target or group of targets at the same time, and pursue "lethal starts" rather than continuous shooting.

[19] Different pursuits have created different training priorities and talents, along with the rapid and slow fire of shooting events, which tend to look for candidates with different temperaments, not to mention the difference in talent between militarized sniping and event shooting [19].

However, compared to you, who can miss the target by flying a dart at home, snipers are still very capable of winning gold when they go to the Olympics after special training.

According to the United States military, seven active-duty soldiers and one veteran of the United States team competed in the shooting events at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics. In the end, two people won gold medals [20].

Among them, Vincent Hancock not only broke the world record in the men's skeet at his first Olympic · in Beijing 2008, but also held three gold medals [21]. But long before joining the army, he was already making a name for himself at the World Championships in shooting.

Therefore, the strong are always strong, rookies like you and me should eat more vegetables.

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