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Despite all adversities, the German national team delivered outstanding results.
Team leader Thomas Klaner is very proud of his national team and overjoyed.
The weather in Châteauroux-Déols is incredible. With wind speeds of 20 meters per second, the sports shooters had to struggle. Shooting targets fell down, and the competitions had to be interrupted. The shooting targets became so soaked by the rain that they could only be removed and evaluated with difficulty. Heavy rain showers were so strong that the shooters could no longer see the targets; here too, the competitions of European Championship were temporarily halted. Shortly afterward, the shooters had bright sunshine on the shooting range, which posed extreme challenges for the eyes. Clay pigeon shooters demonstrated incredible reactions as the wind pushed the clay pigeons down in flight or blew so strongly beneath them that the clay pigeons lifted off, flying off at an unpredictable angle and much higher speed.
The women shooting at 100 meters lying down struggled with extremely strong gusts of wind that blew into the interior of the shooting range. It was incredibly difficult; extreme nerve strength had to be demonstrated here.
A rifle malfunctioned in the star discipline of shooting. After the 4th shot, the rifle couldn’t be fired anymore. The initial suspicion, perhaps the black powder was forgotten during loading, which can indeed happen in excitement. That wasn’t the case; the shooter tried everything to fix the problem but unfortunately couldn’t. The competition had to be abandoned by the shooter.
Amazons: The women’s team – Kiara Baumhakl, Tanja Eichert, and Luisa Rudolph – secured the 3rd place in the Amazons discipline. Michael Sturm scored 100 out of 100 in the Hizadai Replika discipline, winning gold with an incredibly impressive shot pattern. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Michael Sturm for his outstanding success. Rudolf Matschke also won gold in the Miquelet original discipline in the individual ranking and secured the 3rd place with the team. Shooter Frank Börtzler fell ill and had to withdraw from the European Championship; Rudolf Matschke moved up the qualification list and was invited to compete. He had only 2 days to pack his bags and shooting equipment and travel to France. “I was a bit nervous,” he confides. “I was under pressure; I really wanted to deliver a good performance for the national team.” It became extremely exciting when Rudolf Matschke and Johan Karlsson realized that they not only had the same number of points but also identical shots: 4 x 10, 5 x 9, and 1 x 8. In such cases, the “worst” shot that counts is measured to the center. Rudolf Matschke scored 81 mm ahead of Johan Karlsson’s 83.5 mm, securing the gold medal from European Championship. We wholeheartedly congratulate Rudolf Matschke on his 1st place. Kilian Fichtl won the gold medal in the 100 m Whitworth discipline with a perfect score of 100 out of 100. Kilian Fichtl is 20 years old, trains regularly and extensively, and is grateful for the support of his father and coaches. We warmly congratulate Kilian Fichtl on his 1st place of European Championship.
The shooters are randomly checked by a jury. The lottery with the stand number decides which shooters will be checked after the competition of European Championship. The shooter is visited by the jury at the shooting range after the competition, and the equipment is thoroughly examined to rule out manipulations. Only after the inspection can the shooter pack their belongings and leave the shooting range. Safety at the shooting range was ensured at all times. 120 employees ensured a smooth course of the competitions.
The competitions are still ongoing, and the medal table will be adjusted upwards. We wish the shooters continued success.
All Texts & Pictures Copyright by Susanne Panhans
