Free Rifle, Three Positions, 300 metres, Open

This was the final time that free rifle was contested at the Olympics. The gold medalist, Lones Wigger, is the most highly decorated shooter in US history. He had won gold in the small-bore three positions and silver in the small-bore prone at the 1964 Olympics, adding his third medal and second gold in München. In international competition, Wigger won over 100 medals and set 29 world records in various events and competitions. With his victory in free rifle, Wigger joined Soviet Anatoly Bogdanov, who also won gold in small-bore (1956) and free rifle (1952). The silver medal went to Soviet Boris Melnik. Originally, he was the leader when the unofficial scores were posted, with 1,155 to 1,154 for Wigger. But official scoring brought Wigger up to 1,155 and he won the tie-breaker with a better score on the last string fired kneeling, 97 for Wigger to 96 for Melnik.