Shooting at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 20 metre rapid fire pistol

The men's 20 metre rapid fire (or military) pistol was one of the competitions in the 1900 Summer Olympics shooting events in Paris. It was held from August 1 to August 4, 1900. Six athletes from 2 nations competed. This event was contested for prize money by professionals.[1][2] It is nevertheless included in the International Olympic Committee's medal database as an Olympic medal event.[3] Five of the six shooters were from France; the host nation swept the medals as Maurice Larrouy won with Léon Moreaux second and Eugène Balme third.

Men's 20 metre military pistol at the Games of the II Olympiad
Entrance to the target stand
Venue	Satory
Dates	August 1–4
Competitors	6 from 2 nations
Winning score	58
Medalists
Maurice Larrouy  France Léon Moreaux  France Eugène Balme  France

Background

This was the second appearance of what would become standardised as the men's ISSF 25 meter rapid fire pistol event, the only event on the 2020 programme that traces back to 1896. The event has been held at every Summer Olympics except 1904 and 1928 (when no shooting events were held) and 1908; it was open to women from 1968 to 1980.[4] The 1900 event was very different from the 1896 event; it was open to professionals, shot at a distance of 20 metres instead of 25 metres, used 6 shots instead of 30, had targets with 10 points rather than 6 points, dropped the multiplicative scoring method, and had completely different requirements for the pistols used.

Competition format

The competition had each shooter fire 6 shots at 20 metres. The targets had 10 scoring rings. The maximum score was 60 points. Tie-breaking procedures are unknown.[4]

Schedule

Date	Time	Round
Wednesday, 1 August 1900	8:00	Final

Results

The format was one series of six shots for a possible 60 points.[1]^:176 It is not known how the five-way tie at 57 points was broken.

Rank	Shooter	Nation	Score	Prize (FFr)
	Maurice Larrouy	France	58	200
	Léon Moreaux	France	57	150
	Eugène Balme	France	57	100
4	Paul Moreau	France	57	75
5	Paul Probst	Switzerland	57	50
6	Joseph Labbé	France	57	40

References

1. Mallon, Bill (1998). The 1900 Olympic Games, Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 14, 176–177. ISBN 978-0-7864-4064-1.
2. De Wael, Herman (18 December 2000). "Shooting - Men's Pistol". Retrieved 7 October 2017.
3. International Olympic Committee medal winners database.
4. "Muzzle-Loading Pistol, 25 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 11 December 2020.

• De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "Shooting 1900". Accessed 3 March 2006. Available electronically at .