The mixed (or "open") ISSF 50 meter pistol was a shooting sports event held as part of the Shooting at the 1968 Summer Olympics programme. It was the twelfth appearance of the event, and the first where the competition was open to women (though none competed). The competition was held on 18 October 1968 at the shooting ranges in Mexico City. 69 shooters from 42 nations competed. Nations had been limited to two shooters each since the 1952 Games. The event was won by Grigory Kosykh of the Soviet Union in a shoot-off, the nation's second victory in the event (tying Finland for second-most all-time behind the United States' four). Heinz Mertel of West Germany took silver while Harald Vollmar of East Germany took bronze, with each nation earning a medal in their first competition separate from each other; they were the first medals for any German shooter in the free pistol since 1936.
Background
This was the 12th appearance of the ISSF 50 meter pistol event. The event was held at every Summer Olympics from 1896 to 1920 (except 1904, when no shooting events were held) and from 1936 to 2016; it was nominally open to women from 1968 to 1980, although very few women participated these years. A separate women's event would be introduced in 1984. 1896 and 1908 were the only Games in which the distance was not 50 metres; the former used 30 metres and the latter 50 yards.
Four of the top 10 shooters from the 1964 Games returned: two-time bronze medalist Yoshihisa Yoshikawa of Japan, sixth-place finisher Antonio Vita of Peru, seventh-place finisher Leif Larsson of Sweden, and ninth-place finisher An Jae-song of South Korea. Two-time reigning (1962 and 1966) world champion Vladimir Stolypin was on the Soviet Olympic team; runner-up Dencho Denev of Bulgaria and third-place finisher Hynek Hromada of Czechoslovakia also competed in Mexico City.
The Republic of China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Israel, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uruguay, and Vietnam each made their debut in the event; East and West Germany competed separately for the first time. The United States made its 11th appearance, most of any nation, having missed only the 1900 event.
Markkanen used a TsKIB SOO MЦ55. The most popular pistol, used by over two thirds of the shooters, was the German Hämmerli. The Soviet weapon was used by 16% and the Austrian pistol by 6%. The American team used custom weapons designed by Franklin Green, who had competed in the event in 1964 but did not make the United States team in 1968.
Competition format
Each shooter fired 60 shots, in 6 series of 10 shots each, at a distance of 50 metres. The target was round, 50 centimetres in diameter, with 10 scoring rings. Scoring for each shot was up to 10 points, in increments of 1 point. The maximum score possible was 600 points. Any pistol was permitted. Shoot-offs were held to break ties for top ranks.Official Report, vol. 2, p. 430.
Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
Grigory Kosykh and Heinz Mertel broke the Olympic record, tying at 562 before a shoot-off.
Schedule
Date Time Round Friday, 18 October 1968 8:30 Final
Results
Rank Shooter Nation Score Notes Grigory Kosykh 562 Shoot-off: 30 Heinz Mertel 562 Shoot-off: 26 Harald Vollmar 560 4 Arnold Vitarbo 559 5 Paweł Małek 556 6 Helmut Artelt 555 7 Nelson Oñate 555 8 Neagu Bratu 554 9 Matti Patteri 554 10 Vladimir Stolypin 552 11 Lucian Giuşcă 552 12 Ernst Stoll 550 13 John Rødseth 550 14 Hynek Hromada 550 15 William Hare 549 16 Don Hamilton 549 17 Yoshihisa Yoshikawa 548 18 Hubert Garschall 547 19 Tüdeviin Myagmarjav 547 20 Jørgen Gabrielsen 547 21 Leif Larsson 546 22 Seppo Saarenpää 546 23 Albert Späni 546 24 Dencho Denev 545 25 László Mucza 545 26 Börje Nilsson 544 27 Jaroslav Veselý 544 28 Rajmund Stachurski 544 29 Charles Sexton 543 30 Nico Klein 543 31 Jules Sobrian 543 32 Louis Vignaud 543 33 José Amedo 542 34 An Jae-song 541 35 Barry Downs 541 36 Leopoldo Martínez 540 37 Edgar Espinoza 540 38 Bertram Manhin 539 39 Gerardo Castañeda 537 40 Niels Dahl 536 41 Juan García 534 42 Antonio Vita 533 43 Hồ Minh Thu 533 44 Sutham Aswanit 533 45 Kim Yong-bae 532 46 Arturo Costa 530 47 Michael Marton 530 48 Enrique Barragán 529 49 Javier Peregrina 528 50 Shigeto Kusunoki 528 51 Paul Musso 527 52 Türker Özenbaş 526 53 Chen Jeng-gang 525 54 Walter Vera 524 55 Durval Guimarães 524 56 Cheng Chi-sen 521 57 Dương Văn Dan 519 58 Tito Castillo 519 59 Francisco Sandoval 519 60 Antonio Mendoza 514 61 José Agdamag 514 62 Marcus Loader 512 63 José González 511 64 Amorn Yuktanandana 511 65 Kurt Meyer 506 66 Loh Kok Heng 499 67 Antonio Mora 499 68 Rodrigo Ruiz 485 69 Miguel Barasorda 481
References