Skeet, Men

The first shotgun event for men held in Tokyo was the skeet competition, which took place on the same days as the women’s skeet. Tomáš Nýdrle (CZE), the reigning 2019 World Shotgun Champion, was not present in Tokyo, but Vincent Hancock, the 2018 World Shooting Championships champion, was. Hancock won his fourth individual world title in 2018 and was also Olympic Champion in 2008 and 2012. He was the only shooter to score a perfect 125 in the qualification round three-times. After making the shooting events gender equal, Tokyo saw the smallest field ever in this event at the Olympics with only 30 competitors but, with Gabriele Rossetti (2017), Jesper Hansen (2013), Giorgos Akhilleos (2007) and Abdullah Al-Rashidi (1995, 1997 and 1998), four more former individual World Champions competed. Rossetti (gold) and Al-Rashidi (bronze) had also won medals in Rio.

Eric Delaunay and Tammaro Cassandro both bettered the Olympic record in the qualification round with 124 hits, missing only one target each. Delaunay won the shoot-off to be placed first, which would be important for the final. Eetu Kallioinen finished third and six shooters tied for fourth, so a shoot-off for the remaining three places in the final was necessary. Hancock, Al-Rashidi and Hansen secured the three final spots and these three went on to win the medals. Cassandro was eliminated first in the final as he was placed lowest tied with Delaunay, but as Delaunay won the shoot-off for first place in the qualification he was placed ahead, only to be eliminated after the next series. After round four Kallioinen was eliminated, one point behind Al-Rashidi after both had missed two of the last three targets.

Participating in his seventh Olympics Al-Rashidi won bronze for the second time after Rio 2016, while Hancock won his third gold medal, missing only one target in the final, which meant it was silver for Hansen. Hancock became only the third shooter to three-peat in an individual event, after Ralf Schumann (GER) in rapid-fire pistol in 1992-2004 (not consecutive) and Jin Jong-O (KOR) in free pistol in 2008-16. Al-Rashidi, born 21 August 1963 and aged 57 years 339 days, became the oldest shooting medallist at the Tokyo Games, an honor he had previously achieved in 2016. Of all sports in Tokyo he was the second oldest medallist, behind equestrian rider Andrew Hoy.