The event consisted of two rounds: a qualifier and a final. In the qualifier, each shooter fired 5 sets of 30 targets in trap shooting, with 10 targets being thrown to the left, 10 to the right, and 10 straight-away in each set. The shooters could take two shots at each target.
The top 6 shooters in the qualifying round moved on to the semifinal round. There, they fired one round of 15 targets, where only one shot could be taken at each target. The top two in the semifinal round advance to gold medal match, while the third and fourth-place shooters relegate to bronze medal match. The medal match is an additional round of 15 targets.
Ties are broken using a shoot-off; additional shots are fired one at a time until there is no longer a tie.
Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
