Hall of Fame

1. Like father, like son

Oscar and Alfred Swahn: Sweden's Oscar Swahn and his son Alfred won a combined 15 medals at four Olympics.

At London 1908, Sweden dominated the running deer event with the help of the pair. Oscar opened the medal hunt for the Swahn family by winning a gold and bronze medal in individual events and added gold together with his son in the team match. He was 60 years old.

At Stockholm 1912, shooting on home turf, Alfred won his first individual gold and both repeated their gold-medal victory with the team.

They were also chosen to represent Sweden at Antwerp 1920, with Oscar claiming a silver medal at the age of 72. He became the oldest medalist in the history of the Games - a record that still stands.

Alfred went to the 1924 Paris Games without his father, who was ill at the time. Alfred kept up the family tradition by capturing two more bronze medals and one silver.

This was the last time a Swahn appeared at the Games.

2. My left hand

Karoly Takacs: The right-handed Hungarian ended up winning two Olympic gold medals with his left hand after an explosion left him partially crippled .

Takacs was a member of the Hungarian pistol shooting team in 1938 when, while serving as a sergeant in the army, a defective grenade exploded in his pistol hand and shattered it completely.

After spending a month in hospital, Takacs secretly taught himself to shoot with his left hand. The following year he won the Hungarian pistol shooting championship and was a member of the Hungarian team that won the automatic pistol event at the world championships.

The next two Olympics, in 1940 and 1944, were cancelled because of the war, but in 1948, Takacs qualified for the Hungarian Olympic team in the rapid-fire pistol event at the age of 38. Before the competition, the favorite, world champion and world record holder, Carlos Enrique Daz Saenz Valiente, asked Takacs why he was in London. Takacs replied, "I'm here to learn."

Takacs won the gold medal and beat the world record by ten points. During the medal ceremony, Daz Saenz Valiente, who finished second, turned to him and said, "You have learned enough."

Four years later in Helsinki, Takacs successfully defended his Olympic title to become the first repeat winner of the rapid-fire pistol event.

3. Gentleman killer

Zhang Shan: At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the 24-year-old from Sichuan Province represented China in the skeet shooting event, which included both men and women. Zhang caused a sensation by finishing first and becoming the first woman to win a mixed sex shooting event. She hit all 200 skeets to set an unbreakable world record.

The International Shooting Union barred women from shooting against men after the Barcelona Games. Women were not allowed to compete in skeet shooting at the 1996 Olympics, so Zhang was unable to defend her title.

A separate women's skeet event was added to the program for the Sydney Games in 2000. Zhang entered and placed eighth.

After failing to qualify for the Athens Games, the 40-year-old is trying to win her place at Beijing 2008. She is currently training with her husband, a former Australian skeet shooter, in Australia.

4.Old gun

Ragnar Skanaker: In the 1970s and 1980s, the Swede hit his peak by winning one gold (Munich 1972) and two silver medals in the 50m pistol. He claimed his last Olympic bronze medal at Barcelona 1992.

After a lengthy hiatus, the 70-year-old has returned to the sport and remains a serious threat on the international scene.

 

5. Made in Germany

Ralf Schumann: The German who unites discipline, accuracy and passion in his sport has already made a name for himself by winning three Olympic gold medals in the rapid fire pistol at Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004.