Airguns are a big part of international shooting sports, and the 2024 Olympics saw serious competition across all airgun shooting disciplines. For those who appreciate the incredible skill it takes to compete at this level, we would like to share the following links. Not only can you see the results, but you can get an idea of their shot groups which were simply amazing. This is a very difficult sport, and the shooters that compete at this level are truly exceptional.
Event Results
We are going to examine one of these matches in detail. Please feel free to explore each of the links on your own if you like. Let’s start with the Women’s 10-meter rifle.
10 Meter Women’s Air Rifle
In a recent article, we described in detail the gear, rules, and what it takes to get to the finals, but here’s a short recap. First, you need to compete nationally and qualify to go to the Olympics. From there, you need to compete amongst a sea of competitors, and if you should be fortunate enough to place in the top eight, then you get to shoot in the finals.
The final featured shooters are from Korea, China, Switzerland, the United States, France, Kazakhstan, India, and Norway. The delta between gold and silver was a mere .1 of a point. Hyojin Ban from Korea and Yuting Huang from China finished the match with a tie score of 251.8 and went into a sudden death shootout. Hyojin edged out a win by shooting a 10.4 vs a 10.3 from Yuting. Sagen Maddalena, from the USA, came in 4th with a total score of 207.7. Third place went to Audrey Gogniat from Switzerland, with a score of 230.3.
If you visit the site and take a look at the shots, you’ll see that the groups open up as the match progresses. One can only imagine the intense pressure to perform as the match goes on. The mental discipline required to remain competitive throughout is incredible.
And What About Turkey’s Yusuf Dikeç
It’s always exciting when someone comes in breaking convention, and has meaningful success. That’s certainly what happened with Turkey’s Yusuf Dikeç. If you’ve watched or followed precision airgun shooting disciplines, it’s hard not to notice the amount of gear shooters use to maintain a competitive edge. There are special suits, shooting glasses, and other gear folks use to try and get an edge. This year, 51-year-old Yusuf Dikeç competed in the 10-meter mixed air pistol wearing no special gear. He and his partner took silver. Yusuf became an almost instant internet sensation.
So, why is this exciting? It shows that skill trumps gear. Now, if you are shooting at this level, you have the skill, don’t get us wrong, but when you can show up and just put your shots in the 10 ring without all the extra “stuff,” that is pretty darn cool. Yusuf and his partner ?evval ?layda Tarhan took home the first Olympic Airgun medal for Turkey.
Are You Inspired?
Every time we see competitions like this, we get inspired to get out and shoot. Do you get inspired? Are you interested in competitive airgun disciplines? We’ve been looking at Olympic-level shooting but there are many other options with local matches right here in the USA. And, you don’t need top-dollar gear and a bunch of sponsors to get involved. If you would like to try competitive airgun disciplines, we certainly have the gear and the expertise to help you get started. Just give us a call, and we’ll make sure you have what you need to put your best results forward.
