Gold Medalist Vitalina Batsarashkina competes in 25m Pistol Women's Finals on day seven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Asaka Shooting Range on July 30, 2021 in Asaka, Saitama, Japan
(Picture: Getty Images)Vitalina Batsarashkina won gold in the women’s shooting 10 metre air pistol competition for the Russian Olympic Committee. Yet despite this achievement, men on the internet felt the need to mansplain to her how to hold a gun.
It all began when a photo of the new Olympic champion has made its rounds on Twitter, after a user named Zoe described how she was “obsessed” with Batsarashkina’s stance.
Batsarashkina can be seen with her left hand coolly resting in her pocket as she hold a gun and takes aim with her right.
I am obsessed with the stance on this sharpshooter pic.twitter.com/DagufxorxL
— Zoe! That's Me! (@Blankzilla) July 26, 2021
It seems that a LOT of people agree with Zoe’s observation as her tweet has been liked nearly 400,000 times, with over 36,000 retweets.
However, male keyboard warriors disagreed and decided to mansplain to Batsarashkina how she is holding her gun wrong... it’s not like she’s at the top in her sport or anything.
I bet she missed a lot of her shots.
— Umed Saidov, CFA 🇺🇸 (@RealSaidov) July 27, 2021
Sounds like the guy who turned his papers 10 min into the testing session.
Some thought he was a genius, but we later found out he just didn’t know how to solve the problems.
True story, btw.
Not ideal, but it can work since the gun has light recoil and the relaxing stance can be ideal in terms of breathing and heartbeat.
— Evil Morty (@mortyisnotevil) July 28, 2021
Does it look cool? Yes.
— Prof. Wren (@WillRennar) July 27, 2021
Will their wrist shatter the moment they fire? Absolutely.
The reason why people are trying to correct her is because of not knowing context. Most people are aware of recoil. So when they see someone holding a gun with one hand they’ll think there’s something wrong. It’s like if you see someone running towards fire and you tell them
— Boy0 (@ThemanObeef) July 27, 2021
Could you tell me about the grip of the gun? It seems way too big for the hand and looks awkward.
— Petrichor7020 (@petrichor7020) July 27, 2021
As a result of the incessant mansplaining, many criticised the men for patronising Batsarashkina as they had more expertise in the sport where she is Olympic champion.
The replies on this tweet, from men saying an Olympic athlete is doing her sport wrong, are bordering on parody. Something tells me she knows what she is doing, my guys https://t.co/4Ro1qxe1Gm
— Kelly Ellis (@justkelly_ok) July 27, 2021
She’s an Olympic gold medalist, so…seems like it kind of IS ideal in this context?
— Kristi Coulter (@KristiCCoulter) July 30, 2021
y’all realize she’s shooting an air pistol right pic.twitter.com/UJqf3hNDLT
— Cake (@Kaeiq_) July 28, 2021
Gun “experts” when they explain how this air pistol has wrist-shattering recoil pic.twitter.com/V74lXfXfCa
— Vas ♞ (@BucketVas) July 27, 2021
I love all the people who have never accomplished much of anything telling an Olympic medal winning sharp shooter that she’s doing it wrong. No offense, children, but she knows better than you what she’s doing.
— Just Sam Is Fine (@Twelve_Ounces) July 31, 2021
I love all the comments critiquing the stance of an Olympic level shooter.
— (((Mini Marine))) (@MiniM4rine) July 29, 2021
It's very much a "tell me your knowledge of guns comes from video games and movies without telling me your knowledge of guns comes from video games and movies" situation
All the replies (mansplainers?) explaining how the silver and gold Olympic medalist competitive shooter is shooting wrong are just... pic.twitter.com/5HXBQQrnmR
— Matthew Parsons (@scandalon) July 27, 2021
the mansplaining in the replies….
— elisa☆\⁷ cianna day♡ (@chwesoleil) August 1, 2021
do they know that she won gold? https://t.co/lztiR1jf22
I am obsessed with the men in this thread correcting the stance of the OLYMPIC GOLD AND SILVER MEDALIST https://t.co/GhFmQfJ2v7
— aliki (@alikifoley) July 27, 2021
While others pointed out that it is in fact within the rules that Batsarashkina - or any sharpshooter in fact - has to shoot one-handed.
Riiight. pic.twitter.com/CWBUKDzVhh
— Lee Winter (@LeeWinterOz) July 28, 2021
Good to see nothing's changed in 109 years pic.twitter.com/fgROfmIID9
— Quiet (@ennuiposting) July 26, 2021
Totally common in 10m air pistol.. shooters must fire one handed without support.. pic.twitter.com/vzCFWQL6zm
— David Mitchell (@dmratchet) July 27, 2021
Some even provided an explanation as to why it is beneficial for sharpshooters to hold a gun with just one hand.
When you're shooting as precisely as that, your heartbeat throws off your aim. So they stand as relaxed as possible and still maintain a firm stance. You won't see that among tacticool dorks in the US.
— Hungry Hungry HIPAA (@joedobner) July 26, 2021
The heartbeat thing is why the biathlon is awesome.
When I went from shooting for fun to learning to shoot well, I trained with a police sharpshooter whose his first lesson was two hours of nothing but breath control and learning feel my own heartbeat in my trigger finger.
— 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒘 𝑳𝒆𝒆 𝑴𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔 (@themattylee) July 26, 2021
Bullseye shooting style
— MegabitGamer (@MegabitGamer) July 27, 2021
The hand in pants keeps it from moving freely
Gives stability to the shooter...
Everything in that stance has purpose
LoL Yes I'm a transgender with a firearms instructor certification...lol also special weapons. 😉
It’s not the first time Batsarashkina has won an Olympic medal for shooting either. Back at the Rio Olympics in 2016, she won a silver medal in the same event.
During the Tokyo Games, she has also gone on to win an additional gold medal in the 25m pistol shooting event and a silver in the mixed 10m air pistol shooting event.
The first women’s shooting events were added to the Olympic programme at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympics.
