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Featuring the disciplines of air pistol and air rifle, the best results imaginable for sports enthusiasts were achieved
during the Bundesliga Final weekend in Neu-Ulm. Approximately 100 shooters from the elite gathered for the Bundesliga
Final in Neu-Ulm from February 2nd to February 4th, 2024. 2,500 spectators cheered on the shooters, creating a lively
atmosphere with horns, drums, honking, and singing. It was impossible not to be swept up in this atmosphere, especially
with DJ Volker providing hot music from the 70s and 80s. The hall trembled for the full two days.
The winners of the air rifle discipline:
The winners of the air pistol discipline:
1. Platz SV Kelheim-Gmünd
2. Platz KKS-Hambrücken
3. Platz ESV Weil am Rhein
Teams competing in the air rifle discipline:
SSG Kevelaer
SB Freiheit
ST. Hubertus Elsen
SV Wieckenburg
Der Bund München
SV Pfeil Vöhringen
SSV Kronau
SG Coburg
Teams competing in the air pistol discipline:
SV 1935 Kriftel
PSV Olympia Berlin
Sp.Sch.ST.Geb. Pier 2000
Freischütz Wathlingen
ESV Weil am Rhein
ESV Kelheim Gmünd
SGI Waldenburg
KKS Hambrücken
DUELS:
In the Bundesliga Final in Neu-Ulm on February 3rd, the following quarter-final duels took place:
SV Pfeil Vöhringen (South-1.) vs. SB Freiheit I (North-4.)
SG Coburg (South-3.) vs. St. Hubertus Elsen (North-2.)
SSV Kronau (South-2.) vs. SSG Kevelaer (North-3.)
Der Bund München (South-4.) vs. SV Wieckenberg (North-1.)
Winning Streak:
An incredible winning streak unfolded in Bundesliga history with the air rifle discipline: SSG Kevelaer won the last four
Bundesliga finals. PSV Olympia Berlin achieved the same feat with the air pistol from 1998 to 2001.
Chiara Leone vs. Elavenil Valarivan 398:400
Kathrin Grabowski vs. Anita Mangold 396:394
Robin Zissel vs. Antonia Back 396:397
Dennis Welsch vs. Hannah Steffen 396:395
Melissa Ruschel vs. Amelie Anton 397:395
Jason Solari vs. Robin Walter 385:386
Philipp Grimm vs. Eduard Baumeister 380:380
Simon Weiss vs. Hugo Fries 377:371
Monika Karsch vs. Teresa Walter 369:367
Carina Wimmer vs. Marco Wussler 373:372
Istvan Peni vs. Larissa Wegner 396:397
Linea Schneider vs. Nele Stark 396:398
Denise Palberg vs. Hannah Göransson 394:392
Bastian Blos vs. Colin Fix 397:395
Nadine Hochgeschurz vs. Lana Wurster 394:391
Doreen Vennekamp vs. Michael Schwald 383:384
Camille Jedrzejewski vs. Patrick Meyer 376:379
Florian Peter vs. Pavel Svetlik 375:377
Tobias Backes vs. Michael Bittner 374:371
Svenja Berge vs. Sylvain Garconnot 378:362
On the final Sunday, honored guests Luciano Rossi, President of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF),
DSB President Hans-Heinrich von Schönfels, and Israeli President Michael Rohar came to the ratiopharm arena
to conduct the award ceremony together with Gerhard Furnier.
This was the first time ISSF President Luciano Rossi participated in the Bundesliga Final.
This year, readers of the German Shooter Magazine chose Robin Walter from Reichenbach. Robin Walter was
awarded this title for the first time. The trophies were presented to him by Harald Strier, Editor-in-Chief of the
German Shooter Magazine. Robin Walter received the award during the Bundesliga Final in Neu-Ulm.
The air pistol shooter from KKS Hambrücken and DSB national team athlete won the World Cup Final in Doha in 2023.
He secured a silver medal in Krakow at the European Games and secured the Olympic quota place for Paris 2024
at the World Championships in Baku.
In the voting, Robin Walter, the specialist in air pistol, prevailed against
high-caliber competition. Especially against Doreen Vennekamp, Sport Pistol World Champion, Katharina Bauer, the Archery
World Champion, Michelle Kroppen, and Charline Schwarz, as well as the very successful air rifle athletes Anna Janßen
and Maximilian Ulbrich.
“The competition was very strong, there was a wide selection of strong shooters. “I am pleased that my achievements
are appreciated and recognized,” said Robin Walter.
Robin has the best prospects to experience his first Olympic Games in Paris.
The award has been conducted since 1998 and has already been won by icons such as Sonja Pfeilschifter, Barbara Engleder,
Ralf Schumann, Christian Reitz, and Monika Karsch.
Currently, the German Shooting Federation (DSB) has the following spots at the Olympics: 9 spots for shooters and
4 spots for archers. And of course, we want more for the DSB and our athletes.
I have Thilo von Hagen in the interview. He is the Public Relations Officer responsible for ensuring that the positive
and beautiful news reaches the public. It is also his task to publicize matters such as firearms legislation, lead,
and aspects that convey the social aspects of shooting rights outwardly. He started at the DSB on January 15, 2018,
and he is still learning daily. Thilo doesn’t have a favorite discipline yet because there are countless disciplines here.
He finds both the “smoky” muzzleloader shooting and the quieter archery very interesting. Thilo himself comes from
ball sports and enjoys dynamic rapid-fire pistol shooting and target sprint, where there is a lot of movement involved.
He has already been to Korea for shooting and archery sports, to Baku for the 2023 World Championships, and to
Paris for the 2024 Olympics, where he will certainly have many beautiful things to report. The work is not only
enjoyable but also challenging. Above all, the contact with the athletes and coaches brings Thilo von Hagen a lot
of joy; they are completely normal and pleasant people. Thilo has a great team at the DSB; he is well supported,
and the work is very diverse. The Bundesliga Final is something
very special. Many people who have shooting sports in mind think “Quiet Please,” “Then you should come to the
Bundesliga Final because ear protection is mandatory.” “Not because the shots are so loud, but because the
spectacle of the audience is so loud.”
Thilo’s Tip: In the air pistol category, routine will prevail, and SV Kelheim Gmünd will defend the title. In the air rifle
category, it is always much more difficult to say; after the performances of the previous day, SV Wieckenberg
may have a slight edge. It will be close because there are not only national but also international top shooters
here who like this format. This level is excellent training for the shooters, all of whom still want to secure quota
places for the Olympics. There are still 4-5 competitions left for the allocation of quota places for shooting and archery.
Although there are already more spots than in Tokyo. The European Air Championships in Györ, Hungary, are next,
the Bundesliga Final for archery in Wiesbaden is on 24.02.24, and the European Archery Championships in early May
and the World Cup in Munich at the end of May – these are the current competitions that will take place shortly.
“Thilo, I sincerely thank you for the nice interview, and I wish you and your team all the best and success in all
upcoming competitions!”
The air pistol team SV Kelheim-Gmünd stood on the winner’s podium for the fifth time, and the air rifle team
SV Wieckenberg stood at the top of the podium for the first time and were overjoyed with their debut: this is
how the spectacular Bundesliga Final Shooting Sports in the ratiopharm arena in Neu-Ulm ended. In two thrilling
matches, the new champions prevailed with 3:1 and 3:2 against KKS Hambrücken and SV Pfeil Vöhringen,
respectively. Bronze went to ESV Weil am Rhein and ST Hubertus Elsen.
Since 1997, the DSB has been organizing the Bundesliga for air rifle and air pistol with the best teams from across
the country. The highlight is always the Bundesliga Final with the top four teams from the North and South leagues,
each with air rifle and air pistol disciplines. The eight teams are selected from the twelve teams in the North and South
leagues. A Bundesliga and such a final are unique in the shooting sports world. That’s why foreign top shooters and
German stars alike are drawn to the Bundesliga. Olympic champions, world and European champions, all the big
names are present to experience this unique event and the hot atmosphere during the final live.
The ratiopharm arena is impeccably prepared, everything in blue – the color of the organizers. They spared no expense
or effort to make the ratiopharm arena shine and create a breathtaking atmosphere. In addition to 40 km of cables,
many square meters of blue carpet were laid, providing a very pleasant atmosphere.
For those who know shooting sports as a quiet affair, this event proves otherwise. Here, fans are not only fully engaged
but also loud with music, and cheering for the shooters knows no bounds. It’s not uncommon to see shooters wearing
thick earmuffs (Peltor 3.0) because maintaining nerves and steady hands in this constant noise is a great challenge
and distinguishes the best shooters. The final is intricately staged, and knowledgeable moderators introduce even
those unfamiliar with shooting sports to the event. If you haven’t experienced this yet, you should definitely do so
because it’s a unique experience of shooting sports like you’ve never seen or experienced before.
Warmest regards, Your Susanne
PR Service: Publications, PR features, Image for Sports and Business, etc. I make you visible.
Text and Images Copyright by Susanne Panhans
