Olympic archery distance: how far is the target?

How far is 70 meters in familiar units?

The recurve target is approximately 230 feet from the shooting line. That is much farther than a typical indoor target, even though television close-ups make the scoring face look large. The exact competition distance is 70 meters; the yard and foot figures are rounded conversions.

Under the Olympic recurve format, men and women use the same distance and face size. Individual, team and mixed-team recurve events also share that shooting distance. What changes between those events is how many archers shoot and how their arrows count toward a set.

Use the measured range distance when setting up practice. A 70-yard lane is shorter than 70 meters, so a sight mark for one should not be assumed correct for the other. Record the unit beside every outdoor sight setting, particularly when you move between clubs.

How big is the Olympic target?

The recurve face has ten scoring rings inside a 122cm diameter. Its central 10-ring measures 12.2cm across. That central scoring circle is only one tenth of the face diameter, which helps explain why an arrow can look close to the middle on screen while losing a point.

World Archery scoring assigns 10 points to the inner scoring ring and 1 to the outermost. An arrow outside the scoring face earns zero. The 10-ring scoring guide explains the colors and ring values. On the outdoor face, the X is still worth 10 points; it is not an extra point.

A line call concerns the shaft touching the scoring boundary. At an event, let the agreed scoring procedure and judge resolve a doubtful value before anyone pulls or touches the arrows. A close-up photograph can help you inspect a practice end, but official scoring remains the event's responsibility.

The ranking round has 72 arrows

Olympic recurve ranking uses a WA 720 round: 72 arrows, each worth up to 10, for a maximum of 720. The accumulated score establishes the ranking used to seed the match bracket. A higher ranking score gives a different bracket position; it does not itself award an individual medal.

For example, averaging 9 points over all 72 arrows produces 648. You could reach that total with a mixture of 10s, 9s and lower values. The total measures the whole ranking round, while the end-by-end scores show where you gained or dropped points.

The ranking phase rewards sustained scoring over many ends. Once match play begins, the archer has a new opponent and the relevant match score starts fresh. The ranking total does not carry over as a points advantage inside the match.

Individual recurve matches use set points

In World Archery individual recurve match play, each archer shoots three arrows per set. The higher three-arrow total wins 2 set points; a tied set gives each archer 1. The first archer to reach 6 set points wins. At 5-5, each archer shoots one arrow in a shoot-off. World Archery awards the individual match to the arrow closest to the center, with a judge resolving the comparison.

Consider a match in which Archer A wins the first two sets 28-27 and 28-27, loses the third 24-30, then wins the fourth 28-27. Archer A wins 6-2 in set points. Adding all the arrows gives A 108 and the opponent 111, but the set result decides the match.

This is why a poor set does not create a permanent arrow-point deficit. The next set begins with another chance to earn set points. A viewer should watch the set score as well as the individual arrow values shown on screen.

Team and mixed-team recurve matches also use sets, but their target is 5 set points and their arrow counts per set differ. Do not apply the individual first-to-6 rule to every Olympic recurve event. Check the event format when reading a match result.

Compare Olympic recurve with other rounds

The WA 1440 round is another outdoor format, with 144 arrows across four distances. You change sight settings between its distance blocks. Olympic recurve ranking stays at 70 meters for all 72 arrows.

World Archery's published LA28 program adds a compound mixed-team event at 50 meters, with cumulative match scoring. Recurve keeps its 70-meter distance and set format. Identify the bow division when watching the Games, and use the published event rules for the match details.

Practice toward the distance gradually

Start at a distance where you can contain all your arrows safely and repeat the shot. Work farther back in measured steps with an instructor or range officer, using a large enough backstop and verified sight settings. Reaching the target is only part of the requirement; your normal spread must stay safely inside the stopping area.

A smaller face at a shorter distance can help you practice a demanding aiming picture, but it does not reproduce wind drift or arrow drop over 70 meters. Keep those sessions separate in your records. Before your first full-distance round, confirm that your equipment setup and sight adjustment range can reach the target without unsafe clearance or aiming compromises.

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