Margaret Murdock became the first woman to win an Olympic medal in shooting at the 1976 Montreal Games, competing in mixed events alongside men.
Key Facts
- Total events
- 7 (all mixed gender)
- First woman to medal in shooting
- Margaret Murdock (USA)
- Murdock's medal
- Silver, three positions event
- Gold medalist
- Lanny Bassham (USA)
- Tie-break outcome
- Murdock placed second after target review
- Bassham's gesture
- Invited Murdock to share top podium step
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
At the time of the 1976 Montreal Olympics, women had no separate shooting events and were permitted to compete directly against men. This open-category structure created the conditions under which a woman could earn an Olympic shooting medal for the first time.
Shooting at the 1976 Summer Olympics comprised seven mixed-gender events. Lanny Bassham and Margaret Murdock tied for first place in the three positions event, but upon review of the targets Murdock was placed second. Bassham requested two gold medals be awarded; when that was declined, he invited Murdock to stand with him at the top of the podium.
Murdock's silver medal made her the first woman in Olympic history to win a medal in shooting, drawing attention to the absence of women's-specific shooting categories. The episode also highlighted questions of gender equity in Olympic competition, presaging the eventual introduction of separate women's shooting events.
Result
at Montreal, Canada