50 meter pistol
 | |
| Men | |
|---|---|
| Number of shots | 60 + 20 |
| Olympic Games | Since 1896 |
| World Championships | Since 1900 |
| Abbreviation | FP |
50 metre pistol, formerly and unofficially still often called free pistol, is one of the ISSF shooting events. It provides the purest precision shooting among the pistol events, and is one of the oldest shooting types, dating back to the 19th century and only having seen marginal rule changes since the 1930s. Most of the changes concern distance (30m, 50m, 50 Yards), caliber (.22 .22lr .44CF), type of pistol (revolver only, revolver or pistol, any pistol), and time allowed (6 hours, 3 hours, 2 hours, 1 hour and 15 minutes) and, most recently, format of the finals (carry over scores, start from zero, amount of shots fired in the finals). This event, along with the 300m Free Rifle, are the only ones whose targets have never changed since the event's inception.
The pistol used must be in caliber .22, using .22 Long Rifle ammunition, may only be loaded with one round at a time, and have conventional "open" or "iron" sights (i.e. optical and laser sights are not allowed). It must also be operated by one hand and not supported by any other part of the shooter's body. Apart from that, there are practically no rules for the pistol, explaining the former name of the event. Trigger weight may be as low as the shooter pleases, the grip may be designed in any way to enhance comfortable ergonomic fit as long as it does not touch the wrist for support, and there are no restrictions on size and weight. Precision pistols with long barrels, grips fitted to the shooter's hand, very light trigger pull, etc., are often themselves called free pistols.
The course of fire is 60 shots within a maximum time of two hours. The target is the same as in 25 metre center-fire pistol, and with double the distance this explains the lower result level. Five hundred seventy out of the maximum 600 is considered a world-class result. The current world record, 583, was achieved in the World shooting Championships Granada in 2014 by the South Korea's Jin Jong-oh.
Most shooters excelling in 50 metre pistol also compete at the same level in 10 metre air pistol, a similar precision event.
World Championships, Men
This event was held in 1900-2014.
| Yea | Place | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 |  Paris |
 Karl Röderer (SUI) |
Achille Paroche (FRA) |
Konrad Stäheli (SUI) |
| 1901 | Luzern |
Karl Hess (SUI) |
Louis Richardet (SUI) |
Raphael Py (FRA) |
| 1902 |  Rome |
Karl Hess (SUI) |
Konrad Staeheli (SUI) |
Raphael Py (FRA) |
| 1903 |  Buenos Aires |
Benjamin Segura (ARG) |
Cesare Valerio (ITA) |
Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear (ARG) |
| 1904 | Lyon |
.svg.png){kind=small} Paul Van Asbroeck (BEL) |
Paul Probst (SUI) |
Raphael Py (FRA) |
| 1905 | Bruxelles |
Julien van Asbroeck (BEL) |
Paul Van Asbroeck (BEL) |
Charles Paumier du Verger (BEL) |
| 1906 | Milan |
Konrad Staeheli (SUI) |
Paul Van Asbroeck (BEL) |
Charles Paumier du Verger (BEL) |
| 1907 | Zurich |
Paul Van Asbroeck (BEL) |
Charles Paumier du Verger (BEL) |
Konrad Staeheli (SUI) |
| 1908 |  Vienna |
 Richard Fischer (GER) |
Cristoforo Buttafava (ITA) |
 Agoston Dietl (HUN) |
| 1909 | Hamburg |
Paul Van Asbroeck (BEL) |
Eduard Schmeisser (GER) |
Konrad Staeheli (SUI) |
| 1910 |  Loosduinen |
Paul Van Asbroeck (BEL) |
Eduard Ehricht (GER) |
Charles Paumier du Verger (BEL) |
| 1911 | Rome |
Charles Paumier du Verger (BEL) |
Jean Carrere (FRA) |
Norbert van Molle (BEL) |
| 1912 | Bayonne Biarritz |
Paul Van Asbroeck (BEL) |
Paul Maujean (FRA) |
Caspar Widmer (SUI) |
| 1913 |  Camp Perry |
 Wilhelm Carlberg (SWE) |
Alfred Lane (USA) |
Casimir Reuterskioeld (SWE) |
| 1914 |  Viborg |
Paul Van Asbroeck (BEL) |
Mathias Brunner (SUI) |
Andre Regaud (FRA) |
| 1921 | Lyon |
Hans Haenni (SUI) |
John Thomas (USA) |
Giancarlo Boriani (ITA) |
| 1922 | Milan |
Hans Haenni (SUI) |
Camillo Isnardi (ITA) |
Robert Blum (SUI) |
| 1923 | Camp Perry |
Irving Romaro Calkins (USA) |
Charles Price (USA) |
R. G. Wescott (USA) |
| 1924 | Reims |
Wilhelm Schnyder (SUI) |
Paul Van Asbroeck (BEL) |
Christian Lehrman (DEN) |
| 1925 | St. Gallen |
Wilhelm Schnyder (SUI) |
Robert Blum (SUI) |
Paul Van Asbroeck (BEL) |
| 1927 | Rome |
Wilhelm Schnyder (SUI) |
August Wiederkehr (SUI) |
Charles des Jammonières (FRA) |
| 1928 | Loosduinen |
Wilhelm Schnyder (SUI) |
Charles des Jammonières (FRA) |
Fritz Zulauf (SUI) |
| 1929 | Stockholm |
Fritz Zulauf (SUI) |
Jakob Fisher (SUI) |
Oscar Ericsson (SWE) |
| 1930 | Antwerp |
Lean Revilliod de Bude (SUI) |
Marcel Jean Josse Lafortune (BEL) |
Wilhelm Schnyder (SUI) |
| 1931 |  Lvov |
Marcel Bonin (FRA) |
 Vaclav Kreck (TCH) |
Severin Crivelli (SUI) |
| 1933 |  Granada |
Torsten Elis Ullman (SWE) |
Charles des Jammonières (FRA) |
Severin Crivelli (SUI) |
| 1935 | Rome |
Torsten Elis Ullman (SWE) |
Erich Krempel (GER) |
Walter Buechi (SUI) |
| 1937 |  Helsinki |
Torsten Elis Ullman (SWE) |
Walter Buechi (SUI) |
Jacques Louis Mazoyer (FRA) |
| 1939 | Luzern |
Erich Krempel (GER) |
Torsten Elis Ullman (SWE) |
Ambrus Balogh (HUN) |
| 1947 | Stockholm |
Torsten Elis Ullman (SWE) |
Oscar Bidegain (ARG) |
Karl Axel Wallen (SWE) |
| 1949 | Buenos Aires |
Beat Rhyner (SUI) |
Harry Wendell Reeves (USA) |
Angel Leon de Gonzalo (ESP) |
| 1952 |  Oslo |
Torsten Elis Ullman (SWE) |
Aeke Lindblom (SWE) |
Huelet Leo Benner (USA) |
| 1954 |  Caracas |
Huelet Leo Benner (USA) |
Torsten Elis Ullman (SWE) |
 Anton Jasinsky (URS) |
| 1958 | Moscow |
Makhmud Umarov (URS) |
Alexei Gustchin (URS) |
Nelson Hayford Lincoln (USA) |
| 1962 |  Cairo |
Vladimir Stolipin (URS) |
 Yoshihisa Yoshikawa (JPN) |
Ludwig Hemauer (SUI) |
| 1966 | Wiesbaden |
Vladimir Stolipin (URS) |
 Dentcho Todorov Denev (BUL) |
Hynek Hromada (TCH) |
| 1970 | Phoenix |
 Harald Vollmar (GDR) |
Dentcho Todorov Denev (BUL) |
Hynek Hromada (TCH) |
| 1974 | Thun |
Georgi Zapolskich (URS) |
Ivan Nemethy (TCH) |
Harald Vollmar (GDR) |
| 1978 |  Seoul |
Moritz Minder (SUI) |
Ragnar Skanåker (SWE) |
Karl-Otto Westphalen (FRG) |
| 1982 | Caracas |
Ragnar Skanåker (SWE) |
Alexsander Melentiev (URS) |
Anatoli Egrishin (URS) |
| 1986 | Suhl |
Sergei Pyzhianov (URS) |
Igor Basinski (URS) |
Gyula Karacsony (HUN) |
| 1990 | Moscow |
Spas Koprinkov (BUL) |
 Yifu Wang (CHN) |
Sergei Pyzhianov (URS) |
| 1994 | Milan |
Yifu Wang (CHN) |
 Victor Makarov (UKR) |
Franck Dumoulin (FRA) |
| 1998 | Barcelona |
Franck Dumoulin (FRA) |
Hans-Juergen Bauer-Neumaier (GER) |
 Igor Basinski (BLR) |
| 2002 | Lahti |
Zongliang Tan (CHN) |
Martin Tenk (CZE) |
 Vladimir Gontcharov (RUS) |
| 2006 |  Zagreb |
Zongliang Tan (CHN) |
Vigilio Fait (ITA) |
Vladimir Isakov (RUS) |
| 2010 | Munich |
Tomoyuki Matsuda (JPN) |
Lee Dae-Myung (KOR) |
 Vyacheslav Podlesnyy (KAZ) |
| 2014 | Granada |
Jin Jong-oh (KOR) |
 Jitu Rai (IND) |
Wei Pang (CHN) |
| 2018 | Changwon |
TBD | TBD | TBD |
World Championships, Men Team
This event was held in 1900-2014.
World Championships, total medals
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland | 30 | 16 | 14 | 60 |
| 2 | Belgium | 14 | 6 | 6 | 26 |
| 3 | USSR | 13 | 4 | 3 | 20 |
| 4 | Sweden | 8 | 8 | 7 | 23 |
| 5 | China | 7 | 2 | 3 | 12 |
| 6 | United States | 4 | 8 | 5 | 17 |
| 7 | Argentina | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 8 | France | 3 | 14 | 17 | 34 |
| 9 | Italy | 3 | 9 | 4 | 16 |
| 10 | Germany | 3 | 5 | 3 | 11 |
| 11 | South Korea | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 12 | Bulgaria | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 13 | Japan | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 14 | East Germany | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 15 | Ukraine | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 16 | Hungary | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| 17 | Russia | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 18 | Czechoslovakia | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 19 | Spain | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 20 | Denmark | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 21 | Finland | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 22 | Czech Republic | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 | India | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 24 | Belarus | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 24 | Poland | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 24 | West Germany | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 27 | Austria | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 27 | Kazakhstan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 27 | Netherlands | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 27 |  North Korea | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 96 | 95 | 94 | 285 | |
World Cup Final
ISSF has introduced a series of World Cup competitions for Olympic shooting events in 1986, and the final has been held at the end of each season since 1988.
Current world records
| Current world records in 50 metre pistol | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Qualification | 583 | Jin Jong-Oh (KOR) |
September 9, 2014 | Granada Spain |
|||
| Final | 200.7 | Jin Jong-oh (KOR) |
July 7, 2013 | Granada (ESP) | ||||
| Teams | 1719 | .svg.png){kind=small} Romania (Babii, Ilie, Stan) |
September 7, 1985 | Osijek (YUG) | ||||
| Junior Men | Individual | 577 | Spas Koprinkov (BUL) |
August 9, 1990 | Moscow (URS) | |||
| Teams | 1666 | Bulgaria (Georgiev, Ivanov, Simeonov) |
August 4, 1988 | Joensuu (FIN) | ||||
Olympic and World Champions
Jin Jong-oh is the only double Olympic champion in 50 metre pistol. World Championships were held annually up to the 1931 then biennially until 1954 (the current quadrennial format was introduced afterwards), which made a few long streaks possible, but after World War II few shooters have been able to win two major World-level titles (the Olympics and the World Championships); Jin is the only one to have won three since the World Championships intervals were changed to the current quadrennial format. Paul Van Asbroeck has won the most number of Olympic and World titles combined with seven titles (1 Olympics and 6 World titles). Torsten Ullman won six (1 Olympic, 5 World titles) over the span of 1933-1952, including four successive Championships between 1933 and 1937 (including the 1936 Summer Olympics). Wilhem Schnyder won four consecutive World Championships between 1924 and 1928. Van Asbroeck, Ullman, Huelet Benner and Jin are only ones to have held the Olympic and the World titles simultaneously.
Another rare double is that between this precision event and its direct opposite 25 metre rapid fire pistol; this has only been accomplished by Alfred Lane (completed in 1912), Torsten Ullman (1939), Huelet Benner (1952) and Pentti Linnosvuo (1964), with Lane (in one Olympics) and Linnosvuo using only Olympic titles. Benner, on the other hand, is the only shooter with two titles in both events. Several athletes have won 50 metre pistol and 10 metre air pistol titles; Jin is the ony person to have done so at the (single) Olympics.
ISSF World Cup Series has been held since 1986 with the World Cup Final at the end of the season since 1988; Ragnar Skanåker and Jin are the only two to have won this competition as well as the Olympic and World titles. Skanåker's 1993 World Cup Final victory was achieved at the age of 59; it was also his last international victory.
The distance of the Free Pistol event was 30 metre initially. This was because 30 metre was used in the German Championship, the most important competition at the time. Starting from the 1900 Olympics, which also served as the first world championship for Free Pistol, the distance was set at 50 metre. Both the distance and the target remained the same to this day, with the exception of the 1908 Olympics in which the distance changed from 50 metre to 50 yards.
Free Pistol was not held between the 1920 and 1936 Olympics. This is due to the perception of the time that pistol shooters, especially in free pistol, were professionals who competed in tournaments which awarded prized money. The strict amateur status required by the IOC ran counter against UIT (ISSF) and the money and medal awarding system of the target pistol shooting competition tradition. The best shooters in the world such as Wilhelm Schnyder and his Swiss teammates with their Häuptli pistols would dominate the world championships, but were denied the chance to compete in the Olympics. With the exception of 1923 when they did not compete, from 1921 to 1939 the Swiss either won the individual or the team World titles, or both. Hitler made sure shooting was part of the 1936 program as he was eager to demonstrate his country's military might, including a brand new special designed Walther pistol for the rapid fire event.
| Year | Venue | Individual | Winning Pistol | Team | Juniors | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1896 | Athens |  Sumner Paine (USA) |
Smith & Wesson New Model 3 Revolver | |||
| 19001 | Paris | Karl Röderer (SUI) |
Waffenfabrik Bern 1882 Swiss Ordnance Revolver | Switzerland | ||
| 1901 | Luzern | Karl Hess (SUI) |
Waffenfabrik Bern 1882 Swiss Ordnance Revolver | Switzerland | ||
| 1902 | Rome | Karl Hess (SUI) |
Waffenfabrik Bern 1882 Swiss Ordnance Revolver | Switzerland | ||
| 1903 | Buenos Aires | Benjamin Segura (ARG) |
Unknown Revolver | Argentina | ||
| 1904 | Lyon | Paul Van Asbroeck (BEL) |
Unknown Revolver | Switzerland | ||
| 1905 | Brussels | Julien Van Asbroeck (BEL) |
Sauveur HS-6 | Belgium | ||
| 1906 | Milan | Konrad Stäheli (SUI) |
DWM 1900 Swiss Ordnance Luger PP00 | Belgium | ||
| 1907 | Zürich | Paul Van Asbroeck (BEL) |
Sauveur HS-6 | Belgium | ||
| 1908 | Vienna |  Richard Fischer (GER) |
Büchel Stecherspanner | .svg.png){kind=small} Italy | ||
| 1908 | London | Paul Van Asbroeck (BEL) |
Sauveur HS-6 |  United States | ||
| 1909 | Hamburg | Paul Van Asbroeck (BEL) |
Sauveur HS-6 | Germany | ||
| 1910 | Loosduinen | Paul Van Asbroeck (BEL) |
Sauveur HS-6 | Belgium | ||
| 1911 | Rome | Charles Paumier du Verger (BEL) |
Büchel Tell | Belgium | ||
| 1912 | Bayonne-Biarritz | Paul Van Asbroeck (BEL) |
Büchel Tell | Belgium | ||
| 1912 | Stockholm |  Alfred Lane (USA) |
Smith & Wesson Perfected Model Third Model | United States | ||
| 1913 | Camp Perry | Vilhelm Carlberg (SWE) |
Büchel Tell |  United States | ||
| 1914 | Viborg | Paul Van Asbroeck (BEL) |
Büchel Tell | Italy |
 Alfred Lane at the 1912 Olympics | |
| 1920 | Antwerp | Karl Frederick (USA) |
Smith & Wesson Perfected Third Model | United States | ||
| 1921 | Lyon | Hans Hänni (SUI) |
Häuptli 1 | Italy | ||
| 1922 | Milan | Hans Hänni (SUI) |
Häuptli 1 | Switzerland | ||
| 1923 | Camp Perry | Irving Romaro Calkins (USA) |
Smith & Wesson Perfected Third Model | United States | ||
| 1924 | Reims | Wilhelm Schnyder (SUI) |
Häuptli 2 | Switzerland | ||
| 1925 | St. Gallen | Wilhelm Schnyder (SUI) |
Häuptli 2 | France | ||
| 1927 | Rome | Wilhelm Schnyder (SUI) |
Häuptli 2 | Switzerland | ||
| 1928 | Loosduinen | Wilhelm Schnyder (SUI) |
Häuptli 2 | Switzerland | ||
| 1929 | Stockholm | Fritz Zulauf (SUI) |
Häuptli 2 | Switzerland | ||
| 1930 | Antwerp | Lean Revilliod de Bude (SUI) |
Häuptli 1 | Switzerland | ||
| 1931 | Lwów | Marcel Bonin (FRA) |
Unknown | Switzerland | ||
| 1933 | Granada | Torsten Ullman (SWE) |
Udo Anschütz Record 210 | Switzerland | ||
| 1935 | Rome | Torsten Ullman (SWE) |
Udo Anschütz Record 210 | Switzerland | ||
| 1936 | Berlin | Torsten Ullman (SWE) |
Udo Anschütz Record 210 | |||
| 1937 | Helsinki | Torsten Ullman (SWE) |
Udo Anschütz Record 210 | Switzerland |
 Aleksandr Melentiev, the 1980 Olympic Champion and Former World record holder | |
| 1939 | Luzern | .svg.png){kind=small} Erich Krempel (GER) |
Walter Munk Zentrum 2 | Switzerland | ||
| 1947 | Stockholm | Torsten Ullman (SWE) |
Udo Anschütz Record 210 | Argentina | ||
| 1948 | London | .svg.png){kind=small} Edwin Vásquez (PER) |
Hämmerli MP33 | |||
| 1949 | Buenos Aires | Beat Rhyner (SUI) |
Hämmerli MP33 | Argentina | ||
| 1952 | Oslo | Torsten Ullman (SWE) |
Udo Anschütz Record 210 | Sweden | ||
| 1952 | Helsinki | Huelet Benner (USA) |
Hämmerli 100 | |||
| 1954 | Caracas | Huelet Benner (USA) |
Hämmerli 100 | Soviet Union | ||
| 1956 | Melbourne | Pentti Linnosvuo (FIN) |
Hämmerli 100 | |||
| 1958 | Moscow | Makhmud Umarov (URS) |
Hämmerli 100 | Soviet Union | ||
| 1960 | Rome | .svg.png){kind=small} Alexei Gushchin (URS) |
Izhmash Isch 1 | |||
| 1962 | Cairo | Vladimir Stolypin (URS) |
Tula TOZ 35 | Soviet Union | ||
| 1964 | Tokyo | Väinö Markkanen (FIN) |
Hämmerli 101 | |||
| 1966 | Wiesbaden | Vladimir Stolypin (URS) |
Tula TOZ 35 | Soviet Union |
 Mikhail Nestruyev, the 2004 Olympic Champion | |
| 1968 | Mexico City | Grigori Kosych (URS) |
TsKIB SOO MTs55 | |||
| 1970 | Phoenix | Harald Vollmar (GDR) |
Tula TOZ 35 | Soviet Union | ||
| 1972 | Munich | Ragnar Skanåker (SWE) |
TsKIB SOO MTs55 | |||
| 1974 | Thun | Gregori Zapolski (URS) |
TsKIB SOO MTs55 | Soviet Union | ||
| 1976 | Montreal | Uwe Potteck (GDR) |
Tula TOZ 35 | |||
| 1978 | Seoul | Moritz Minder (SUI) |
TsKIB SOO MTs55 60° | Switzerland | ||
| 1980 | Moscow | Aleksandr Melentiev (URS) |
TsKIB SOO MTs55 | |||
| 1982 | Caracas | Ragnar Skanåker (SWE) |
Hämmerli 152 | Soviet Union | ||
| 1984 | Los Angeles | Xu Haifeng (CHN) |
Hämmerli 150 | |||
| 1986 | Suhl | Sergei Pyzhianov (URS) |
Tula TOZ 35 | Soviet Union | ||
| 1988 | Seoul | Sorin Babii (ROU) |
Tula TOZ 35 | |||
| 1990 | Moscow | Spas Koprinkov (BUL) |
Hämmerli 150 | Hungary | ||
| 1992 | Barcelona |  Kanstantsin Lukashyk (EUN) |
Tula TOZ 35 | |||
| 1994 | Milan | Wang Yifu (CHN) |
Morini CM84E | Ukraine |
 Anatolie Corovai (MDA) |
Moldova |
| 1996 | Atlanta | Boris Kokorev (RUS) |
Tula TOZ 35 | |||
| 1998 | Barcelona | Franck Dumoulin (FRA) |
TsKIB SOO MTs55 | China |
 Andrija Zlatić (YUG) |
Poland |
| 2000 | Sydney | Tanyu Kiryakov (BUL) |
Hämmerli 152 | |||
| 2002 | Lahti | Tan Zongliang (CHN) |
Morini CM84E | China |
Vladimir Issachenko (KAZ) |
Ukraine |
| 2004 | Athens | Mikhail Nestruyev (RUS) |
Morini CM84E | |||
| 2006 | Zagreb | Tan Zongliang (CHN) |
Morini CM84E | China |
Pu Qifeng (CHN) |
China |
| 2008 | Beijing | Jin Jong-oh (KOR) |
Morini CM84E | |||
| 2010 | Munich | Tomoyuki Matsuda (JPN) |
Morini CM84E | South Korea |
Tomasz Palamarz (POL) |
Germany |
| 2012 | London | Jin Jong-oh (KOR) |
Morini CM84E | |||
| 2014 | Grenada | Jin Jong-oh (KOR) |
Morini CM84E | China |
Andrey Pochepko (RUS) |
China |
1 The Olympic competitions in Paris also counted as the 1900 World Championships.
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