A sharp eye and a steady hand
The 10m air pistol event, in which Cynthia Lo will compete, is a component of the shooting discipline.
As a standalone women's event with its inauguration at the Seoul Olympics in 1988, its history may not be as colourful as its more traditional counterparts, but the event nonetheless requires the same level of focus and precision as its army exercise inspired predecessors.
The air pistol is not dissimilar to your ordinary pistol or handgun, it differs in that rather than being triggered by explosive compounds stored within the bullets, the air pistol utilises compressed air to shoot lead pellets.
Technicalities aside, the event itself is a straightforward competition which requires a sharp eye and a steady hand, for the target is placed (yep, you've guessed it) at a distance of 10 metres within a competitive atmosphere amidst a cacophony of noise.
The shooter aims for a general target which is no wider than the portrait width of an A4 sheet of paper and an inner target of 5mm which, seen at a distance of 10m, looks roughly the same size as the full stop at the end of this sentence. The shooter is given 40 shots, every one of which counts, so one cannot afford to be trigger happy - the pressure's on.
