Norway competed at the Summer Olympic Games for the first time at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. Results from Norwegian athletes are typically considered separate from those of Swedish competitors despite the Union between Sweden and Norway that existed in 1900.
The 300 m rifle three positions event was one of five free rifle events of the competitions in the Shooting at the 1900 Summer Olympics events in Paris. They were held from August 3 to August 5, 1900. 30 shooters from 6 nations competed, with five shooters per team. Medals were given for individual high scores in each of the three positions, overall individual high scores, and the scores of the five shooters were summed to give a team score. The three positions event was won by Emil Kellenberger of Switzerland. Anders Peter Nielsen of Denmark took silver, while Ole Østmo of Norway and Paul Van Asbroeck of Belgium tied for bronze.
The men's 300 m rifle three positions was one of 15 events on the shooting at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme. The competition was held on Saturday, 11 July 1908. Each nation could enter up to 12 shooters. Fifty-one sport shooters from ten nations competed. The event was won by Albert Helgerud of Norway, the nation's first victory in the event. Norway also won bronze, with Ole Sæther finishing third. Between the two Norwegians was Harry Simon, taking silver in the United States' debut.
The men's team free rifle at 300 metres was one of 15 events on the shooting at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme. The competition was held on Thursday, 9 July 1908 and was extended after sunset to Friday, 10 July 1908 — it was the first shooting event of the Games. Fifty-four sport shooters from nine nations competed. The event was won by the team from Norway, improving on their second-place finish in 1900. Sweden made its debut in the event, taking silver. France repeated as bronze medalists.
Nicolas Achille Paroche was a French sport shooter who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics and 1920 Summer Olympics.
Ole Østmo was a Norwegian sharpshooting champion who competed in top rifle shooting sports events during late 19th century and early 20th century.
The men's 300 metre team free rifle was a shooting sports event held as part of the Shooting at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the third appearance of the event. The competition was held on Thursday, 4 July 1912. Forty-two sport shooters from seven nations competed. The event was won by Sweden, the nation's first victory in the event, improving on a silver-medal performance in 1908. Defending champions Norway reached the podium for the third consecutive time, taking silver this time. Denmark earned its first medal in the men's 300 metre team free rifle with bronze.
The men's 300 m rifle three positions was a shooting sports event held as part of the shooting at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the third appearance of the event, which had been introduced in 1900. The competition was held on Tuesday, 2 July 1912. Eighty-four sport shooters from nine nations competed. The event was won by Paul Colas of France, the nation's first medal in the event. Denmark took the silver and bronze medals, as Lars Jørgen Madsen finished second and Niels Larsen placed third.
The men's 300 metre free rifle standing event was one of five free rifle events of the competitions in the Shooting at the 1900 Summer Olympics events in Paris. It was held from August 3 to August 5, 1900. 30 shooters from 6 nations competed, with five shooters per team. Medals were given for individual high scores in each of the three positions, overall individual high scores, and the scores of the five shooters were summed to give a team score. The standing position was won by Lars Jørgen Madsen of Denmark, with Ole Østmo of Norway taking silver and Charles Paumier of Belgium bronze.
The men's 300 metre free rifle kneeling event was one of five free rifle events in shooting at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. It was an individual kneeling position event, and competitors' scores also counted towards the individual and team three-position events. It was held from 3 to 5 August. There were 30 competitors from 6 nations, with each nation having a team of 5 shooters. Medals were given for individual high scores in each of the three positions, overall individual high scores, and the scores of the five shooters were summed to give a team score. The kneeling position was won by Konrad Stäheli of Switzerland, with Emil Kellenberger of Switzerland and Anders Peter Nielsen of Denmark tying for silver.
The men's 300 m rifle three positions was a shooting sports event held as part of the Shooting programs at the 1920 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fourth appearance of the 300 metre rifle three positions event at an Olympic Games. The competition was held on 31 July 1920, with 70 shooters from 14 nations competing. The event was won by Morris Fisher of the United States, the nation's first victory in the event. Niels Larsen of Denmark earned silver, while Østen Østensen of Norway took bronze.
The men's 300 metre team free rifle was a shooting sports event held as part of the Shooting at the 1920 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fourth and final appearance of the event. The competition was held on 31 July 1920. 70 shooters from 14 nations competed. The event was won by the United States, in its first appearance in the men's team free rifle. Norway finished with four podium appearances in the four appearances of the event, taking silver in 1920. Switzerland earned bronze, its first medal in the event since gold in 1900.
300 m rifle three positions is an ISSF shooting event, involving shooting 40 shots each from the prone, the standing and the kneeling positions. Men and women both shoot the same number of shots, though previously women only shot half the course – or 20 shots in each position.
The men's 300 metre team free rifle event was one of five free rifle events of the competitions in the Shooting at the 1900 Summer Olympics events in Paris. It was held from August 3 to August 5, 1900. 30 shooters from 6 nations competed, with five shooters per team. Medals were given for individual high scores in each of the three positions, overall individual high scores, and the scores of the five shooters were summed to give a team score. The top scoring team was Switzerland, led by individual champion Emil Kellenberger. Silver went to Norway, while France took bronze.
The mixed 300 m rifle three positions was an event at the 1972 Summer Olympics. This was the final time that free rifle was contested at the Olympics. Soviet shooter Boris Melnik was leading 1155 to 1154 when the unofficial scores were posted, but the official scoring brought American Lones Wigger up to 1155, Wigger won the tie breaker with a better score on the last string fired kneeling, 97, versus 96 for Melnik. It was the third consecutive victory in the event for the United States; the Soviet Union had taken at least one medal each of the six times it competed before the event was discontinued. Lajos Papp of Hungary took bronze.
The men's 300 m rifle three positions was a shooting sports event held as part of the Shooting at the 1948 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fifth appearance of the event at an Olympic Games. The competition was held on 5 and 6 August 1948, with 36 shooters from 13 nations competing. Each nation was limited to three shooters. The event was won by Emil Grünig of Switzerland, the nation's first victory in the event since 1900 and second overall. Silver went to Pauli Janhonen of Finland and bronze to Willy Røgeberg of Norway.
The men's 300 m rifle three positions was a shooting sports event held as part of the Shooting at the 1952 Summer Olympics programme. It was the sixth appearance of the event at an Olympic Games. The competition was held on 27 July 1952, with 32 shooters from 18 nations competing. Each nation was limited to two shooters. The event was won by Anatoli Bogdanov with Lev Vainshtein in third, as the Soviet Union took both gold and bronze in its debut. Between the Soviets was Robert Bürchler of Switzerland, earning silver.
The men's 300 m rifle three positions was a shooting sports event held as part of the Shooting at the 1956 Summer Olympics programme. It was the seventh appearance of the event at an Olympic Games. The competition was held on 1 December 1956, with 20 shooters from 14 nations competing. Nations had been limited to two shooters each since the 1952 Games. The event was won by Vasily Borisov of the Soviet Union, the nation's second consecutive victory in two appearances. The Soviets finished 1–2, with Allan Erdman taking silver. Vilho Ylönen of Finland earned the bronze.
The men's 300 m rifle three positions was a shooting sports event held as part of the Shooting at the 1960 Summer Olympics programme. It was the eighth appearance of the event at an Olympic Games. The competition was held on 3 and 5 September 1960, with 39 shooters from 22 nations competing. Nations had been limited to two shooters each since the 1952 Games. The event was won by Hubert Hammerer in Austria's debut in the event. Hans Rudolf Spillmann of Switzerland took silver. Soviet Vasily Borisov was the second man to win two medals in the event, adding a bronze to his 1956 gold.
The free rifle is a group of events held at the Olympics, beginning in 1896 and continuing to the current programme. Current nomenclature drops the "free" and refers to the event type as simply the "rifle." The women's 50 metre version has also been referred to as the "standard" and "sport" rifle. The "free" rifle is distinct from the military rifle, air rifle, and small-bore rifle.
