Explained: Why do Olympic rifle shooters wear those jackets?

Indian fans watching Swapnil Kusale win a historic bronze medal in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions final couldn’t help but notice the shooter sport a finger ring bearing the famous Olympic rings.

That aside, what was unmissable was the extent of shooting gear that Kusale had on him through the course of the event.

The Jacket and trousers

These jackets are hugely important for a rifle shooter.

Often custom-made from leather or canvas to suit the specific requirements of a shooter and costing upwards of EUR 2,000, the jacket and trousers hold a shooter’s body in place whilst minimizing movement.

The jackets are extremely heavy and ensure that a shooter is still with minimal movement when shooting. And given that they are still, thanks to the jackets and trousers, the accuracy of their shots improve as well.

Gloves

The rifle used by the Olympians weighs roughly 12 pounds and shooters balance it on their palm or knuckles, depending on their style.

The weight of the rifle bears down on their hands through their long routine and gloves undoubtedly cushion the fingers.

Also, the gloves come in handy when shooters train for hours together and are essential to keep injuries at bay.

Shooting glasses

The shooting glasses, often worn by 10m air rifle and pistol shooters contain a lens, a mechanical iris, and blinders.

The lens, with corrections made to suit the shooter’s eyesight, helps them focus on the target.

A mechanical iris sits right behind the lens that controls the amount of light that enters the shooter’s eye. It plays a role similar to the aperture of the camera.

A smaller aperture enables the shooter to view far-away targets and focus on the gun sight in parallel.

Finally, the blinders block all unnecessary movements that might distract a shooter and aid in greater concentration.

Earplugs

As with the case with everyday earplugs, the ones that shooters use curb all the external noise that might be playing around the shooter in the shooting range at the time of the event.

Earplugs help cancel the crowd's cheering and place the shooter in a cocoon-like mind space and in a zone that heightens concentration.

Vizor for headgear

The prominent vizor over the forehead of the shooters plays a role that is similar to the ones that everyday baseball caps do in keeping the sun out.

In a shooting range, artificial lights can play mischief with the eyeline of a shooter. Therefore, a shooter relies on vizors to cut out all the external light and hone in on the target, a dot the zine of a Times New Roman period.