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Records & champions
Sixty shots, a maximum of 600. The best qualification score ever shot by a man has stood for more than seventeen years. Before you look it up, estimate it.
Think first: What is the men’s 10 m air pistol qualification world record (60 shots, out of 600)?
Two kinds of world record
The ISSF keeps two record lists. The world record proper is set in a final, scored in decimals. A separate qualification world record covers the 60-shot match in whole rings.
| Record | Score | Holder | Where, when |
| Men, qualification | 594 | Jin Jong-oh (KOR) | Changwon, 12 Apr 2009 |
| Men, final | 246.5 | Kim Song-guk (PRK) | Doha, 11 Nov 2019 |
| Women, qualification | 591 | Jiang Ranxin (CHN) | Cairo World Championship, 15 Oct 2022 |
| Women, final | 246.9 | Zorana Arunović (SRB) | Maribor, 11 Mar 2017 |
| Mixed team, qualification | 591 | Yao Qianxun / Hu Kai (CHN) | Hangzhou World Cup, 22 Jul 2026 |
| Mixed team, final | 488.4 | Yao Qianxun / Hu Kai (CHN) | Hangzhou World Cup, 22 Jul 2026 |
Records as of October 2026. Junior records include 590 in men’s qualification by Bu Shuaihang (CHN, Hangzhou 2026) and 245.1 in the women’s final by Suruchi Singh (IND, World Cup Final, Doha, December 2025).
Think first: An athlete shooting RPO (ranking points only) scores 595 in qualification at a World Cup. Is it a new qualification world record?
- Yes. A score is a score.
- No. RPO athletes cannot set records.
- Only once their equipment has passed control
Record rules: final world records and separate qualification world records; athletes shooting RPO, MQS-only or out of competition are not eligible.
How the event changed
The men’s World Championship began in 1970, the women’s in 1974. Both events joined the Olympic programme at Seoul 1988.
Finals came later still. There were no finals before 1985. When they arrived, the final score was added to the qualification score. Since 2013, finals start from zero and qualification only decides who gets in. The mixed team event joined the Olympics at Tokyo 2020.
Women’s qualification moved from 40 to 60 shots, matching the men, around 2018. The exact year needs checking.
Think first: Why can’t you compare the 2008 Olympic final totals with Xie Yu’s winning 240.9 from 2024?
- The target was larger in 2008
- Before 2013 the final was added to the qualification score
- Finals had more shooters in 2008
Olympic champions
Before you scroll through the list, make one more estimate.
Think first: From Seoul 1988 to Paris 2024 there were 20 individual Olympic titles in 10 m air pistol (10 men’s, 10 women’s). How many went to China?
- 1988 Seoul — Men: Kiriakov (BUL) · Women: Šekarić (YUG) — First Olympic 10 m air pistol events for both sexes.
- 1992 Barcelona — Men: Wang Yifu (CHN) · Women: Logvinenko (EUN)
- 1996 Atlanta — Men: Di Donna (ITA) · Women: Klochneva (RUS)
- 2000 Sydney — Men: Dumoulin (FRA) · Women: Tao Luna (CHN)
- 2004 Athens — Men: Wang Yifu (CHN) · Women: Kostevych (UKR) — Wang Yifu’s second title, twelve years after his first.
- 2008 Beijing — Men: Pang Wei (CHN) · Women: Guo Wenjun (CHN)
- 2012 London — Men: Jin Jong-oh (KOR) · Women: Guo Wenjun (CHN) — Guo Wenjun defends her title.
- 2016 Rio — Men: Hoàng Xuân Vinh (VIE) · Women: Zhang Mengxue (CHN)
- 2020 Tokyo — Men: Foroughi (IRI) · Women: Batsarashkina (ROC) — Mixed team debut: China (Jiang Ranxin / Pang Wei). Batsarashkina’s final: 240.3.
- 2024 Paris — Men: Xie Yu (CHN) · Women: Oh Ye-jin (KOR) — Oh Ye-jin set the Olympic final record, 243.2. Mixed team: Serbia (Arunović / Mikec).
Look at the Paris winning scores: 240.9 for the men and 243.2 for the women. Both are below the world records, and Xie Yu’s 240.9 is lower than the 243.7 that won the 2025 World Championship. The biggest final is not always the highest-scoring one. More in Inside the Olympic final.
- Final world records: men 246.5, women 246.9. Qualification world records: men 594, women 591.
- RPO, MQS-only and out-of-competition athletes cannot set records.
- No finals before 1985. Until 2013 finals were added to qualification; since then they start from zero.
- Olympic debut: Seoul 1988 for men and women, Tokyo 2020 for mixed team. China has won 8 of the 20 individual titles.
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