Did you know Canada picked up its first Olympic shooting medals in 1908? Walter Ewing and George Beattie finished first and second in the men’s trap in London that year. Canada also took home two other shooting medals, bringing our Olympic team’s total haul to four. With 2021’s summer Olympics already on the horizon, it’s prime time to test your Olympic shooting knowledge.
Question: When did women first participate in Olympic shooting events?
Answer: 1968
The 1968 summer Olympics in Mexico City were the first to see women strike the primers. From then up until the 1980 Moscow Olympics, men and women actually competed against each other. And at the Montreal Olympics in 1976, Canada’s own Susan Nattrass made her Olympic debut, becoming the first woman ever to compete in an Olympic trap shooting event.
Question: Has shooting been included in every edition of the modern Olympic Games?
Answer: No
Shooting sports have been included at every Summer Olympic Games since the birth of the modern Olympic movement in 1896 — except at St. Louis in 1904 and Amsterdam in 1928. It’s hard to find the exact reason why they were dropped from those two Olympics. But we do know that up until 1924, the shooting sports programmed 31 events. After a “break” in 1928, shooting returned to the Olympics in 1932 with only two events — one for pistols and one for rifles.
Question: Who is Canada’s youngest male Olympic Shooting Champion?
Answer: George Genereux
Genereux was 17 years old when he won the trap shooting gold medal at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952. To this day, he is still the youngest Canadian male to win an Olympic gold medal. In fact, the battle for top spot was tight. Sweden’s Knut Holmqvist needed a perfect round of 25 to tie the Canadian, but missed on his 24th shot, giving Genereux Canada’s only gold of the Games.
So, how many of these Olympic shooting facts did you know? No need for a good ol’ Canadian “sorry,” if you didn’t know any. Everyday is an opportunity for learning something new. If you want to learn more about Olympic shooting, check out Canadian Olympic shooting for history, stats, and timeless stories.
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Have fun and shoot responsibly!
