Shotgun: Events and shooting rules

Skeet and Trap are two shotgun competitions where athletes shoot at an object with a diameter of only 10 cm, called a “clay”, traveling at speeds of over 100 km/h. While both competitions have male and female categories, Trap also has mixed team competitions.

Skeet: Both male and female athletes shoot at clay targets from eight different points, each known as a “station”. The clay comes in from two points, one on the left and one on the right side of the shooting range. Each of these locations is called a “house”.

The left house is called the “high house” and the clay coming from it is known as the “mark”. The house on the right is called the “low house” and the clays are called “pulls”. Athletes shoot 25 shots each in five rounds over three days, and the top six shooters advance to the medal round.

Trap: Shooters shoot at clay thrown in front of them from five different positions. The preliminary round of the men’s and women’s competition is similar to the Skeet round. In a mixed team Trap competition, where one man and one woman compete, each shooter fires 75 shots in three rounds of 25 shots each. The top six teams then compete for medals. The Olympic program excludes double trap, where two targets are released from the house at the same time.