The Olympics are the greatest sporting spectacle on Earth. Athletes who’ve trained tirelessly, not for the spotlight or the fame, get their chance to prove they are the best in the world at their respective sport. Among those sports in the summer games are three events that directly relate to the sport of hunting – Archery, Shooting, and the Modern Pentathlon. Here’s a little bit about each one and when you can watch them.
Archery
Brady Ellison aims for gold in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Archery is a fascinating sport to watch at the Olympic level. No other sport requires so much focus, skill, and mental toughness. For Olympic archers, their bow is basically an extension of their body. Watching them strike 10-ring after 10-ring from 77 yards out with a recurve bow is truly a thing of beauty.
You can learn more about Olympic Archery here – Olympic Archery: Did You Know?
Shooting
With the recent push for more gun control and the “guns are bad” movement in full swing over recent attacks around the world, it will be nice to see the world of shooting in a positive light for a change. Of course, that depends on how much air time NBC is willing give the sport.
Olympic shooting consists of 15 different events with three different weapons – pistol, rifle, and shotgun. The trap and skeet events are probably the most entertaining to watch as the Olympiads blast clay pigeons out of the sky faster than a blink of an eye.
You can view the entire Olympic shooting schedule here.
Modern Pentathlon
Never heard of it? Don’t worry you’re not alone. The pentathlon is considered to be perhaps the toughest competition in the Olympic games because athletes compete in 5 different sports in one day – pistol shooting, fencing, swimming, horse riding and running.
The Modern Pentathlon event was created as a means to imitate the ultimate soldier or cavalry officer’s duties in war, hence the type of events the athletes must participate in. With its mixture of physical and mental demands that test courage, stamina, coordination, concentration, skill and flexibility all packed into one day – this is a must see event.
Click here for the Modern Pentathlon Schedule
