Unveiling the Shooting Suit: How it Helps Athletes Achieve Accurate Hits
2025-06-16
On July 27th, good news came from the Chateauroux Shooting Center. Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao won gold in the mixed team final of the Paris Olympics 10m air rifle event, defeating the South Korean team. This was also the first gold medal for the Chinese delegation in the Paris Olympics, continuing the strong performance of the Chinese shooting team in previous Olympic Games. In the tense and exciting mixed team final of the 10m air rifle event, the audience was not only attracted by the shooters' precise hits, but also noticed that they were wearing heavy shooting suits, appearing somewhat clumsy upon entering, like cute penguins. This inevitably aroused curiosity about the equipment of shooting athletes.
The shooting suit is essential equipment for air rifle athletes during competitions. It includes a tight-fitting undersuit, lining, and shooting jacket, with a total weight exceeding 10 jin (approximately 5 kg). The shooting jacket is generally made of thick canvas and leather, with restraining straps, buttons, and zippers inside and out; rough and wear-resistant pads are added to the shoulders, elbows, and knees. These designs are intended to allow athletes to better maintain the stability of their shooting posture within the limits allowed by the competition rules.
To further enhance stability, air rifle athletes also need shooting shoes and shooting gloves. Shooting shoes are very stiff, making it almost impossible to move the ankles when wearing them, but the wide and flat soles ensure stable contact with the ground. The shooting gloves work in conjunction with the clothing to fix and support the athlete's posture, while also protecting the wrists from injury.
It is worth mentioning that in the 10m air rifle event, not only the shooting suits are unexpectedly large, but the air rifle target used in the competition is also surprisingly small. The diameter of the 1-ring is only 4.55 cm, the diameter of the 5-ring is approximately equivalent to a one-yuan coin, and the diameter of the bullseye (10-ring) is only 0.5 mm.
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