In the 19th century, as the Industrial Revolution occurred and hunting for food became less necessary for more people, sport shooting evolved and gained popularity. The sport of shooting's governing body is the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), formerly the L’Union Internationale de Tir (UIT), which was formed in 1907.
The father of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin, was a pistol shooting enthusiast, and so the sport of shooting was one of the first sports to be added to the 1896 Summer Olympics, which were also held in 1900. However, following the latter event, shooting became an inconsistent sport on the Olympic schedule before gaining consistency at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
The men's top medal winners hail from the team events that took place between 1896 and 1924. Five gold medals have been won by six-shooters; out of all of them, Carl Osburn has the most medals earned, 11. American Kim Rhode leads the women's medal table with six medals, including three golds.
Read More : Olympic Torch Relay
The List of Olympic Medalists of Team USA in Shooting
The United States is leading the all-time medal table with a total of 116 medals, including 57 golds, while China is in second place with 67 total medals and 26 golds. The total medal margin of the top countries is 49, which is a huge advantage for the USA in maintaining that lead. Further, the third position is held by the Soviet Union, with a total of 49 medals and 17 golds.
The list of Olympic medalists for Team USA in shooting is as follows:
| Year | Event | Name | Medal |
| 1896 | Free Pistol, 30 metres, Men | Sumner Paine | Gold |
| 1896 | Military Pistol, 25 metres, Men | John Paine | Gold |
| 1896 | Military Pistol, 25 metres, Men | Sumner Paine | Silver |
| 1908 | Free Pistol, 50 yards, Men | Jim Gorman | Bronze |
| 1908 | Free Rifle, 1,000 yards, Men | Kellogg Casey | Silver |
| 1908 | Free Pistol, 50 yards, Team, Men | Jim Gorman, Irving Calkins, John Dietz, Charles Axtell | Gold |
| 1908 | Free Rifle, Three Positions, 300 metres, Men | Harry Simon | Silver |
| 1908 | Military Rifle, 200/500/600/800/900/1,000 yards, Team | Bill Leushner, William Martin, Charles Winder, Kellogg Casey, Ivan Eastman, Sumner Benedict | Gold |
| 1908 | Running Target, Double Shot, Men | Walter Winans | Gold |
| 1912 | Free Pistol, 50 metres, Men | Al Lane | Gold |
| 1912 | Free Pistol, 50 metres, Men | Peter Dolfen | Silver |
| 1912 | Free Pistol, 50 metres, Team, Men | Al Lane, Harry Sears, Peter Dolfen, John Dietz | Gold |
| 1912 | Dueling Pistol, 30 metres, Men | Al Lane | Gold |
| 1912 | Military Rifle, Three Positions, 300 metres, Men | Carl Osburn | Silver |
| 1912 | Military Rifle, Any Position, 600 metres, Men | Carl Osburn | Silver |
| 1912 | Military Rifle, Any Position, 600 metres, Men | John Jackson | Bronze |
| 1912 | Military Rifle, 200, 400, 500 and 600 metres, Team, Men | Cornelius Burdette, Allan Briggs, Harry Adams, John Jackson, Carl Osburn, Warren Sprout | Gold |
| 1912 | Small-Bore Rifle, Any Position, 50 metres, Men | Fred Hird | Gold |
| 1912 | Small-Bore Rifle, Prone, 50 metres, Team, Men | Warren Sprout, Bill Leushner, Fred Hird, Carl Osburn | Bronze |
| 1912 | Small-Bore Rifle, Disappearing Target, 25 metres, Team, Men | Fred Hird, Warren Sprout, Neil McDonell, Bill Leushner | Bronze |
| 1912 | Running Target, Single Shot, Team, Men | Walter Winans, Bill Leushner, Bill Libbey, Neil McDonell | Silver |
| 1912 | Trap, Men | Jay Graham | Gold |
| 1912 | Trap, Team, Men | Jay Graham, Charles Billings, Ralph Spotts, John Hendrickson, Frank Hall, Edward Gleason | Gold |
| 1920 | Military Pistol, Team, Men | Louis Harant, Al Lane, Karl Frederick, James Snook, Mike Kelly | Gold |
| 1920 | Free Pistol, 50 metres, Men | Karl Frederick | Gold |
| 1920 | Free Pistol, 50 metres, Men | Al Lane | Bronze |
| 1920 | Free Pistol, 50 metres, Team, Men | Karl Frederick, Al Lane, James Snook, Mike Kelly, Ray Bracken | Gold |
| 1920 | Military Pistol, 30 metres, Men | Ray Bracken | Silver |
| 1920 | Free Rifle, Three Positions, 300 metres, Men | Bud Fisher | Gold |
| 1920 | Free Rifle, Three Positions, 300 metres, Team, Men | Bud Fisher, Carl Osburn, Lloyd Spooner, Willis Lee, Dennis Fenton | Gold |
| 1920 | Military Rifle, Prone, 300 metres, Team, Men | Carl Osburn, Lloyd Spooner, Bud Fisher, Willis Lee, Joe Jackson | Gold |
| 1920 | Military Rifle, Prone, 600 metres, Men | Lloyd Spooner | Bronze |
| 1920 | Military Rifle, Prone, 600 metres, Team, Men | Dennis Fenton, Willis Lee, Lloyd Spooner, Ollie Schriver, Joe Jackson | Gold |
| 1920 | Military Rifle, Standing, 300 metres, Men | Carl Osburn | Gold |
| 1920 | Military Rifle, Standing, 300 metres, Men | Larry Nuesslein | Bronze |
| 1920 | Military Rifle, Standing, 300 metres, Team, Men | Larry Nuesslein, Carl Osburn, Lloyd Spooner, Willis Lee, Tom Brown | Silver |
| 1920 | Smal-Bore Rifle, Standing, 50 metres, Team, Men | United States | Gold |
| 1920 | Military Rifle, Prone, 300 and 600 metres, Team, Men | Joe Jackson, Willis Lee, Ollie Schriver, Lloyd Spooner, Carl Osburn | Gold |
| 1920 | Small-Bore Rifle, Standing, 50 metres, Men | Larry Nuesslein | Gold |
| 1920 | Small-Bore Rifle, Standing, 50 metres, Men | Arthur Rothrock | Silver |
| 1920 | Small-Bore Rifle, Standing, 50 metres, Men | Dennis Fenton | Bronze |
| 1920 | Running Target, Single Shot, Team, Men | Tom Brown, Larry Nuesslein, Lloyd Spooner, Carl Osburn, Willis Lee | Bronze |
| 1920 | Trap, Team, Men | Mark Arie, Frank Troeh, Horace Bonser, Forest McNeir, Frank Wright, Jay Clark | Gold |
| 1920 | Trap, Men | Mark Arie | Gold |
| 1920 | Trap, Men | Frank Troeh | Silver |
| 1920 | Trap, Men | Frank Wright | Bronze |
| 1924 | Rapid-Fire Pistol, 25 metres, Men | Henry Bailey | Gold |
| 1924 | Free Rifle, Prone, 600 metres, Men | Bud Fisher | Gold |
| 1924 | Free Rifle, Prone, 600 metres, Men | Carl Osburn | Silver |
| 1924 | Free Rifle, 400, 600 and 800 metres, Team, Men | Bud Fisher, Walter Stokes, Joe Crockett, Ray Coulter, Sid Hinds | Gold |
| 1924 | Small-Bore Rifle, Prone, 50 metres, Men | Marcus Dinwiddie | Silver |
| 1924 | Running Target, Single Shot, Men | John Boles | Gold |
| 1924 | Running Target, Single Shot, Team, Men | John Boles, Walter Stokes, Ray Coulter, Dennis Fenton | Bronze |
| 1924 | Trap, Men | Frank Hughes | Bronze |
| 1924 | Trap, Team, Men | Frank Hughes, Sam Sharman, Bill Silkworth, Fred Etchen, John Noel, Clarence Platt | Gold |
| 1948 | Small-Bore Rifle, Prone, 50 metres, Men | Art Cook | Gold |
| 1948 | Small-Bore Rifle, Prone, 50 metres, Men | Walter Tomsen | Silver |
| 1952 | Free Pistol, 50 metres, Men | Joe Benner | Gold |
| 1952 | Small-Bore Rifle, Prone, 50 metres, Men | Art Jackson | Bronze |
| 1956 | Free Pistol, 50 metres, Men | Offutt Pinion | Bronze |
| 1960 | Rapid-Fire Pistol, 25 metres, Men | Bill McMillan | Gold |
| 1960 | Small-Bore Rifle, Prone, 50 metres, Men | Jim Hill | Silver |
| 1964 | Free Pistol, 50 metres, Men | Frank Green | Silver |
| 1964 | Small-Bore Rifle, Prone, 50 metres, Men | Lones Wigger | Silver |
| 1964 | Small-Bore Rifle, Prone, 50 metres, Men | Tommy Pool | Bronze |
| 1964 | Trap, Men | Bill Morris | Bronze |
| 1964 | Free Rifle, Three Positions, 300 metres, Men | Gary Anderson | Gold |
| 1964 | Free Rifle, Three Positions, 300 metres, Men | Martin Gunnarsson | Bronze |
| 1964 | Small-Bore Rifle, Three Positions, 50 metres, Men | Lones Wigger | Gold |
| 1968 | Free Rifle, Three Positions, 300 metres, Open | Gary Anderson | Gold |
| 1968 | Small-Bore Rifle, Three Positions, 50 metres, Open | John Writer | Silver |
| 1968 | Trap, Open | Tom Garrigus | Silver |
| 1972 | Free Rifle, Three Positions, 300 metres, Open | Lones Wigger | Gold |
| 1972 | Small-Bore Rifle, Three Positions, 50 metres, Open | John Writer | Gold |
| 1972 | Small-Bore Rifle, Three Positions, 50 metres, Open | Lanny Bassham | Silver |
| 1972 | Small-Bore Rifle, Prone, 50 metres, Open | Vic Auer | Silver |
| 1976 | Small-Bore Rifle, Three Positions, 50 metres, Open | Lanny Bassham | Gold |
| 1976 | Small-Bore Rifle, Three Positions, 50 metres, Open | Margaret Murdock | Silver |
| 1976 | Trap, Open | Don Haldeman | Gold |
| 1984 | Small-Bore Rifle, Prone, 50 metres, Men | Ed Etzel | Gold |
| 1984 | Small-Bore Rifle, Three Positions, 50 metres, Women | Wanda Jewell | Bronze |
| 1984 | Air Rifle, 10 metres, Women | Pat Spurgin | Gold |
| 1984 | Sporting Pistol, 25 metres, Women | Ruby Fox | Silver |
| 1984 | Skeet, Open | Matt Dryke | Gold |
| 1984 | Trap, Open | Dan Carlisle | Bronze |
| 1988 | Air Pistol, 10 metres, Men | Erich Buljung | Silver |
| 1992 | Small-Bore Rifle, Three Positions, 50 metres, Men | Bob Foth | Silver |
| 1992 | Small-Bore Rifle, Three Positions, 50 metres, Women | Launi Meili | Gold |
| 1996 | Trap, Men | Josh Lakatos | Silver |
| 1996 | Trap, Men | Lance Bade | Bronze |
| 1996 | Double Trap, Women | Kim Rhode | Gold |
| 2000 | Skeet, Men | Todd Graves | Bronze |
| 2000 | Air Rifle, 10 metres, Women | Nancy Napolski-Johnson | Gold |
| 2000 | Double Trap, Women | Kim Rhode | Bronze |
| 2004 | Small-Bore Rifle, Three Positions, 50 metres, Men | Mike Anti | Silver |
| 2004 | Small-Bore Rifle, Prone, 50 metres, Men | Matt Emmons | Gold |
| 2004 | Double Trap, Women | Kim Rhode | Gold |
| 2008 | Air Pistol, 10 metres, Men | Jason Turner | Bronze |
| 2008 | Small-Bore Rifle, Prone, 50 metres, Men | Matt Emmons | Silver |
| 2008 | Double Trap, Men | Glenn Eller | Gold |
| 2008 | Skeet, Men | Vincent Hancock | Gold |
| 2008 | Trap, Women | Corey Cogdell-Unrein | Bronze |
| 2008 | Skeet, Women | Kim Rhode | Silver |
| 2012 | Small-Bore Rifle, Three Positions, 50 metres, Men | Matt Emmons | Bronze |
| 2012 | Skeet, Men | Vincent Hancock | Gold |
| 2012 | Small-Bore Rifle, Three Positions, 50 metres, Women | Jamie Beyerle-Gray | Gold |
| 2012 | Skeet, Women | Kim Rhode | Gold |
| 2016 | Air Rifle, 10 metres, Women | Ginny Thrasher | Gold |
| 2016 | Trap, Women | Corey Cogdell-Unrein | Bronze |
| 2016 | Skeet, Women | Kim Rhode | Bronze |
| 2020 | Air Rifle, 10 metres, Men | Will Shaner | Gold |
| 2020 | Skeet, Men | Vincent Hancock | Gold |
| 2020 | Trap, Women | Kayle Browning | Silver |
| 2020 | Skeet, Women | Amber English | Gold |
| 2020 | Air Rifle, 10 metres, Team, Mixed | Mary Tucker • Lucas Kozeniesky | Silver |
| 2020 | Trap, Team, Mixed | Madelynn Bernau • Brian Burrows | Bronze |
Read More : Olympic games ceremony
FAQ's On Olympic Medalists in Shooting
A. Shooting became an Olympic sport with the inception of the modern Olympic Games in 1896.
A. There are 15 shooting events at the Olympics. Shooters compete in six events for men, six for women, and three for mixed teams.
A. Yes, trap is a discipline of the sport of shooting at the Olympics.
A. Rifle, pistol, and shotgun are the three types of guns used at the Olympics.
A. Rifle (3-position and prone): A 5.6-millimeter small-bore rifle weighing no more than 8 kg (17.637 lbs.) at the Olympics. Small-bore rifles for women can only weigh up to 6.5 kg (14.33 lbs).
