Learn › Track 07 · The ISSF circuit

The final

You top the qualification with 586, two points clear of second place. Thirty minutes later you walk out for the final.

Think first: The final begins. What is your score on the scoreboard?

  • 586: qualification carries into the final
  • A bonus of a few points for qualifying first
  • 0.0: every finalist starts level

Twenty-four shots, eight shooters

The top 8 from qualification shoot the final. It runs like this:

  • 5 minutes of preparation and sighting shots.
  • 2 series of 5 shots, with 250 seconds for each series.
  • 14 single shots, each on command with 50 seconds to fire.
  • Every shot is scored in decimals, from 0.0 to 10.9.

From shot 12 the final starts shrinking. After shot 12 the lowest total is out in 8th place. After that, one more shooter leaves every two shots.

Think first: How many shots does the eventual bronze medallist fire?

Step through a final below. Each run is a fresh, simulated field of shooters who average around 10.0 per shot, the level of a real final. Watch how little separates the shooters, and how a single 9 can move someone into the elimination spot.

A simulated final. Triangles above the shot strip mark eliminations. S1 and S2 are the two 5-shot series; the rest are single shots.

Final format: 8 athletes, start from zero, decimal scoring, 2 × 5 shots then 14 single shots; eliminations after shots 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22. A tie at an elimination is broken by single shoot-off shots. The format is unchanged for LA28.

Why decimals

In qualification every shot counts in whole rings, so a 10.0 and a 10.9 are both just 10. In a final they are 0.9 apart. Each ring is split into ten bands, each 0.8 mm wide, so the gap between a 10.0 and a 10.9 is 7.2 mm on the card. Among eight shooters who all hit the 10 ring most of the time, decimals keep the ladder moving and make ties rare. When a tie does happen at an elimination, it goes to a shoot-off.

Procedures that cost points

Finals have their own rules on top of the normal match rules. Most of them are about time.

  • Report 30 minutes before the start. Your equipment must be at the firing line 20 minutes before. Late costs 2 points; more than 10 minutes late and you do not start.

  • No chair on a finals range. You stand between shots.

  • Dry firing only at the permitted times: 1 point off otherwise.

  • A shot fired after LOAD but before START counts as a miss. An extra shot is cancelled and costs 2 points.

  • Coaching is non-verbal only.

  • Music and loud crowd support are part of the show, and televised finals may show your aim live on screen.

Think first: Shot 17. You press the trigger, it releases, and nothing fires. The pistol was loaded and the safety off. What happens?

  • The shot scores zero and the final continues
  • Allowable malfunction: you get up to 1 minute to fix it, once per final
  • The whole final stops for 5 minutes

Think first: Your monitor shows 8.7. You are sure the shot felt like a 10. What can you do about the score?

  • File a score protest straight after the shot
  • Nothing: finals have no score protests
  • Ask to fire the shot again

Handling the pressure of a final is a skill of its own: see Handling pressure. Then try one yourself.

  • Eight finalists start from 0.0. Qualification only gets you in.
  • 2 series of 5 shots (250 s each), then 14 single shots (50 s each): 24 shots, scored in decimals.
  • 8th is out after shot 12, then one every two shots. Bronze is decided after 22, gold after 24. Ties go to a shoot-off.
  • Report 30 minutes early. One allowable malfunction with up to 1 minute to fix it. No score protests.

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