Para Shooting Preview

While not historically one of the strongest nations at the Paralympic Games in shooting, Team USA has reason for optimism heading into this summer’s Games in Tokyo. McKenna Geer (nee Dahl) made history at the 2016 Rio Games when she became the first woman to win a Paralympic medal in shooting for the U.S. with a bronze in the R5 mixed 10-meter air rifle prone SH2 event. 

Geer will be joined in Tokyo by Jazmin Almlie-Ryan, Stetson Bardfield, Taylor Farmer, YanXiao Gong and John Joss. Bardfield, Farmer and Gong will all be making their first Paralympic appearance. Almlie-Ryan, Geer and Joss will all be second-time Paralympians.

On the Paralympic program since 1976, Para shooting bears a lot of resemblance to its Olympic counterpart. Athletes shoot using the same targets and ranges. The competition format is similar as well. The primary differences come from adaptations for athletes of different abilities to be able to shoot. Also, the Paralympic program consists of just pistol and rifle, no shotgun.

Updated on July 19, 2021. For more information, contact the sport press officer.

The Tokyo program will include one new event, making 13 total. Mixed 50-meter rifle prone SH2 joins the program, the third SH2 event after standing and 10-meter air rifle. All other events are for SH1 athletes, so it is hoped the new event will create more opportunities for SH2 athletes in the sport.

Things could be changing as far as traditional world powers in shooting. Sweden and South Korea remain atop the all-time medal table, but after winning the most hardware in Rio, China now ranks third. Iran, owner of eight medals all time, has also been strong recently internationally. Team USA has six medals all time.
McKenna Geer 25, started shooting at the age of 12 and within 18 months had earned an invite to camp at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center. Geer became a full-time resident of the OPTC a week after graduating high school. By 2016 she had earned her historic Paralympic medal and has since won a gold medal at the Parapan American Games Lima 2019. 

Taylor Farmer, 22, had never shot a gun until 2012 but within five years was on the national team. She earned finished second in the R3 mixed 10-meter air rifle at the 2019 world championships, earning Team USA a quota spot in the process. She won a bronze medal at the world cup in Osijek, Croatia, in 2019. Farmer also won a gold medal at the 2019 Parapan American Games in R3 mixed 10-meter air rifle SH1. 

John Joss, 38, is a military veteran and part of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit. Joss posted the highest finish for U.S. men at the 2016 Rio Games when he finished in fifth place in the R6 mixed 50-meter rifle prone SH1 event. He finished second in the R6 50-meter prone rifle) at the 2018 world cup in Chateauroux, France, winning a quota spot for Team USA. 

YanXiao Gong, 23, earned a quota spot at the world championships in Sydney, Australia, his very first international event, in P3 mixed 25-meter sport pistol SH1. He secured his quota spot by making the finals and finishing eighth, which was the highest finish in Para shooting for this event in the quad. Gong then moved to the OPTC to train full time for Tokyo.
August 30, 2021: Paralympic competition gets underway with finals in R2 - Women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1, R1 - Men's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 and 4 - Mixed 10m Air Rifle Standing SH2
August 31, 2021: Finals in P2 - Women's 10m Air Pistol SH1 and P1 - Men's 10m Air Pistol SH1
September 1, 2021: Finals in R3 - Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH1 and R5 - Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH2
September 2, 2021: Finals in P3 - Mixed 25m Pistol SH1
September 3, 2021: Finals in R8 - Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 and R7 - Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1
September 4, 2021: Finals in P4 - Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 and R9 - Mixed 50m Rifle Prone SH2
September 5, 2021: Finals in R6 - Mixed 50m Rifle Prone SH1