Tanguy de La Forest, the former CEO of the French Paralympic Committee, is aiming for his first Para shooting medal on home soil at his sixth Paralympic Games.

De La Forest comes to Paris 2024 as a two-time R9 World Champion and is one of many fascinating stories to follow at a gripping event.

Shooting, a para-sport, made its Paralympic debut at the 1976 Toronto Games. At Paris 2024, 160 shooters will compete in rifle and pistol events from distances of 10 m, 25 m and 50 m, placing a series of shots as close to the centre of the targets as possible. The competitions can last up to three hours and require a lot of stamina and nerve control.

Depending on the event and sport class, athletes compete kneeling, standing (or in a wheelchair or shooting seat if they cannot stand) or lying down, with athletes in wheelchairs able to use an elbow rest.

Athletes will be chasing medals at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in central France. Inaugurated in 2018, the unique facility is one of the largest of its kind in Europe. With multiple shooting ranges, it is the perfect venue for all 13 Paralympic events and will continue to be used for international events after the Games.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, China topped the medal table, winning four of the 13 gold medals and finishing second twice. However, athletes from 17 nations left the Japanese capital with a medal and will look to do so again when the week of action in Chateauroux begins on August 30.

Five stories to follow

Can de La Forest win his first Paralympic medal at home?

The former CEO of the French Paralympic Committee is taking part in the Games for the sixth time but has not yet won a Paralympic medal.

This time, however, de La Forest arrives as a two-time R9 world champion, having won gold medals in the mixed 50m rifle prone SH2 and the mixed 10m air rifle standing SH2 R4 at the 2023 Parasport World Shooting Championships in Lima, Peru. Now the 46-year-old is aiming to climb onto the winners’ podium for the first time at the Games in front of his home crowd.

Lekhara leads India’s hunt for glory

At Tokyo 2020, teenager Avani Lekhara made history by winning the R2 Women’s 10m Air Rifle Shooting Standing SH1, becoming India’s first female Paralympic gold medallist.

Lekhara’s impressive 249.6 points, which equalled the world record, was followed by a show by Denmark’s Narwal in the mixed 50m pistol SH1 final, where he took gold with a Paralympic record of 218.2 points.

India finished third in the medal table with a total of five podium finishes and will look to improve its record at Paris 2024 when Lekhara and Narwal defend their titles.

Narwal said he wanted to “win more Paralympic medals for my country and my family,” but the most important thing for him was his performance.

He added: “I’m aiming for another successful performance, whether it’s gold or not.”

Vadovicova aims for new victories

Six-time World Champion from Slovakia, Veronika Vadovicova, is one of the legends of Paralympic shooting. The 41-year-old, who is taking part in her seventh Games, will be looking to add to her six Paralympic medals – four of them gold – and hopes to defend her Mixed R6 50m Rifle Prone SH1 title from Tokyo 2020.

In the final three years ago, Vadovicova emerged victorious, just 0.4 points ahead of Sweden’s Anna Normann. Vadovicova will have to put in another strong performance to make it to the top of the podium in Paris.

Alaryani aims for further triumphs

Experienced shooter Abdulla Sultan Alaryani was the United Arab Emirates’ hope for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after the country’s able-bodied shooters failed to perform as desired at the Olympics – and he delivered.

Alaryani won his country’s first gold medal at Tokyo 2020 by triumphing in the 50m Air Rifle Three Positions R7 Mixed SH1 Final. The 55-year-old star, who won a gold medal at London 2012 but had to settle for three silvers at Rio 2016, will look to add to his medal tally when he faces his close rivals in the 50m Rifle Three Positions, Rio 2016 champion Laslo Suranji of Serbia and Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist of Korea Republic Shim Youngjip at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre.

Alaryani said: “I will participate in the 10-meter shooting and the 50-meter shooting, both with the rifle, and my goal, God willing, is to win gold.

“The biggest motivation over all these years is that I am a representative of my country, which has given me everything and supported me in every way. That’s why I can never let my country down and will do everything to raise the flag on the podium.”

Chinese legends ready for new showdown

Chinese rifle greats Zhang Cuiping and Dong Chao claimed three consecutive titles following their dazzling triumph at Tokyo 2020. Dong won the Men’s 10m Air Rifle R1 Standing SH1 with a Paralympic record score of 246.4 points. Zhang was invincible in the Women’s 50m Rifle R8 3-position final to complete a hat-trick of consecutive titles in the discipline.

Zhang will lead a team of Chinese favorites in several shooting events at Paris 2024 and will look to add to her five Paralympic gold medals, while she and Dong hope to continue their winning streak at the fourth Games.