Nina Christen and Chiara Leone take aim at the targets with the small bore rifle. If they want to go for a medal, they will have to shoot even more accurately than Christen did in Tokyo in 2021.
01.08.2024, 11:00
SDA
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- Shooting has reached new heights. A score in the women's event, for example, which was still enough to qualify for the final in Tokyo 2021, is now too low to qualify in Paris 2024.
- Christoph Dürr, who failed to qualify in the three-position small bore rifle match on Wednesday, says: "Everything is becoming more precise in terms of equipment." The material is now replaced much faster than it used to be.
- However, the higher level is primarily due to a lot of training. Shooting, shooting, shooting, mental training and other important factors.
The values cannot be compared directly: For one thing, the mode has changed from 3x40 to 3x20 shots in the qualification, and for another, the wind has an influence over 50 meters. As in the biathlon, the shooters orient themselves to the wind flags and sometimes have to wait in gusts or accelerate in calm conditions.
However, in the closed air rifle room last weekend in Châteauroux, where Audrey Gogniat won bronze, it was clear to see how the level of women's shooting has risen. The 628.5 points in the Tokyo qualification for Olympic champion Nina Christen (shared 7th place) would have been enough for 16th place at Paris 2024. The cut was 628.5 points in Tokyo and 631.9 points in Paris.
Numerous pieces of the puzzle
3.4 points difference over 60 shots, that's a lot. And this difference is the result of a sum of details. Below is a selection of these puzzle pieces.
"You can work on a lot in shooting. Unlike a 100-meter runner, you don't primarily need the right genes," says Swiss shooting coach Enrico Friedemann. For the German, work means firing around 54,000 shots a year. "That alone takes around 180 days of three to six hours." And he adds: "Then there's the mental training, the neuroathletics, the athletics, the psychology and, importantly, the regeneration."
Friedemann talks about the air rifle championships in India. "They last two weeks with around 7,000 competitors. There are more and more people there who can shoot very well." And in China, another major nation, it's hardly any different. As it does not require very specific physical abilities, shooting is open to many. Younger and younger aces from Asia in particular are making their way to the top.
Christoph Dürr, who failed to qualify in the three-position small-bore rifle match on Wednesday, mentions another detail. "Everything is becoming more precise in terms of material. A shooting jacket used to last for one or two years, but now we change it after half a season because the stability of the material deteriorates slightly." Nina Christen points out changes to the rifle. "For example, I now have several options when it comes to choosing ammunition."
New mode
Compared to Tokyo, not only has the level increased, but the three-position match also has a different characteristic. "At 3x20, a nine is twice as bad," says Nina Christen. With 120 shots, you could still afford a slump, but now that's no longer possible.
Friedemann says: "It's now a 100-meter race instead of a 400-meter race. You have to reorganize yourself mentally, because it's almost impossible to make up for a bad start." On the other hand, the chances for outsiders have increased somewhat. "With 120 shots, the best always came out on top in the end, now the finalists are more spread out because there is less separation between the wheat and the chaff."
Nina Christen and Chiara Leone won a close internal battle against the 15-year-old shooting talent Emely Jäggi and will be shooting kneeling, prone and standing on Thursday. The Olympic champion from Nidwalden and the European champion from Fricktal want to prove that Switzerland has also raised its level and adapted to the mode change.
