Georgios Achilleos of Cyprus is the rare Commonwealth shooter who's up near the top of the world rankings. (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
A popular optional sport, shooting made its first Commonwealth Games appearance in 1966 and has landed on every program since, with the exception of 1970. It's also one of the biggest sports: a whopping 46 shooting events will be held in Delhi
Unlike other sports that test an athlete's strength, size and speed, shooting places more of a premium on precision and control. Physical conditioning helps (particularly a slow and steady resting heart rate), but mental preparation is the most important factor on the range, where shooters must remain calm and focused on their targets.
Two main types of arms are used in shooting events: rifles and pistols.
For the purposes of the Games, the term "rifle" encompasses the small-bore rifle, full-bore rifle and shotgun. Air rifles are used for the 10-metre events, small-bore rifles are used for the 50-metre events, full-bore rifles are used at distances ranging from 300 yards to 1,000 yards, and shotguns are used for the clay target events (trap and skeet shooting).
A pistol can mean either an air pistol or a small-bore pistol. The air pistol is used for 10-metre events while the small-bore pistol is used for 25-metre and 50-metre events.
In clay shooting, competitors fire at a series of clay "pigeons" sent up at different angles and directions. In the other rifle and pistol events, the aim is to place the largest number of bullets as close as possible to the centre of a stationary target.
Competitors to watch
Georgios Achilleos (Cypress): In a sport dominated by Americans, Eastern Europeans and Chinese, the world's No. 2 men's skeet shooter is one of only two Commonwealth athletes ranked in the top three in any discipline (Australia's Lalita Yauhleuskaya is the other). Achilleos, 29, will share the spotlight in Delhi with Indian shooters Gagan Narang (the world No. 2 in the men's 10m air rifle) and Manavjit Singh Sandhu (No. 4 in the men's skeet). Those men lead a very strong host team that, with so many shooting events on the schedule, could do wonders for India's medal count. Achilleos's main Canadian competition could come from Edmonton's Jason Caswell, an eight-time national champion and two-time Olympian.
Susan Nattrass (Canada): The indefatigable 59-year-old trap shooter from Medicine Hat, Alta., just keeps going and going. Nattrass's Olympic career spans an incredible four decades, with appearances in 1976, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2008, and she racked up seven world titles between 1974 and 2006. Still a podium threat at the Commonwealth Games, Nattrass captured three medals in 2006 in Melbourne: silver in a pair of team events with partner Cynthia Meyer, and bronze in the individual clay pigeon trap.
When to watch (finals)
Day 2 (Oct. 5)
- Men's 10m air rifle (pairs).
- Men's 50m pistol (pairs).
- Women's 25m pistol (pairs).
- Women's 50m rifle 3 positions (pairs).
Day 3 (Oct. 6)
- Men's 10 m air rifle (singles).
- Women's 25 m pistol (singles).
- Men's 50 m pistol (singles).
- Men's double trap (pairs).
Day 4 (Oct. 7)
- Men's 10 m air pistol (pairs).
- Men's 25 m rapid fire pistol (pairs).
- Women's 50 m rifle three positions (singles).
- Men's double trap (singles).
Day 5 (Oct. 8)
- Men's 50 m rifle three positions (pairs).
- Men's 10 m air pistol (singles).
- Men's 25 m rapid fire pistol (singles).
- Men's trap (pairs).
- Women's trap (pairs).
Day 6 (Oct. 9)
- Women's 10 m air rifle (pairs).
- Men's 25 m centrefire pistol (pairs).
- Men's 50 m rifle three positions (singles).
- Open Stage 2 — 300 yd. (pairs).
- Open Stage 1 — 300 yd. (singles).
- Open Stage 2 — 300 yd. (singles).
- Women's trap (singles).
Day 7 (Oct. 10)
- Men's 25 m centrefire pistol (singles).
- Women's 10 m air rifle (singles).
- Open Stage 2 — 500 yd. (pairs).
- Open Stage 1 — 500 yd. (singles).
- Open Stage 2 — 500 yd. (singles).
- Men's trap (singles).
Day 8 (Oct. 11)
- Women's 50 m prone rifle (pairs).
- Open Stage 2 — 600 yd. (pairs).
- Open Stage 1 — 600 yd. (singles).
- Open Stage 2 — 600 yd. (singles).
- Men's skeet (pairs).
Day 9 (Oct. 12)
- Women's 10 m air pistol (pairs).
- Men's 25 m standard pistol (pairs).
- Women's 50 m rifle prone (singles).
- Men's 50 m rifle prone (pairs).
- Open Stage 3 — 900 yd. (pairs).
- Open Stage 3 — 900 yd. (singles).
Day 10 (Oct. 13)
- Men's 25 m standard pistol (singles).
- Women's 10 m air pistol (singles).
- Men's 50m rifle prone (singles).
- Open Stage 3 — 1,000 yd. (pairs).
- Open Stage 3 — 1,000 yd. (singles).
- Men's skeet (singles).
