Combining Running and Shooting, the new “Sport for All” event presented by the ISSF at the International Junior Competition organized by the German Shooting Federation in Suhl, Germany, turned into a great match.
The ISSF launches the “Run & Shoot” event, a new “Sport for All” competition format. The name says it all: the competition combines running with Air Rifle target shooting.
Young athletes, professional shooters as well as senior shooters and former Olympic Champions met in Suhl, Germany, where 400 athletes from 33 countries are participating in the International Shooting Competition in these days.
ISSF “Run & Shoot”: easy rules, no special equipments.
The “Run & Shoot” competition kicks-off with a mass start at the blocks. After 600 meter (400 meter for the juniors) athletes stop at the target area, where they shoot at five falling targets placed at a10-meter distance. Athletes compete with an Air Rifle, without optical sights, in standing or prone position (depending on the age category). An unlimited number of shots are permitted to hit the five falling targets, but the athlete will be allowed to start running again only when all the targets have been hit.
Both fitness and precision count for the medals: at the finals, athletes run the given distance five times, shooting four rounds in between. The first who crosses the finish line on at the end of the running track, wins the match.
The format has been developed by the ISSF as a “Sport for All” competition, aiming to set up an easy-to-access sport event. The ISSF “Run & Shoot” even does not require any special equipments or big investments: Air Rifles are provided by the organizers, so a pair of running shoes is enough to participate and win.
“We want to attract new shooters!” Mr. Schreiber said
“The ISSF presents this new format in the spirit of the Sport for All program, but also to attract new, young shooters.” The ISSF Secretary General, Mr. Franz Schreiber said.
“We are aiming to develop Run & Shoot as a grassroots event, an easy step into our sport. We want to give the youth a chance to practice shooting, to play an outdoor sport, and to have fun in a healthy environment.” Mr. Schreiber added.
German athletes upon the first ISSF Run & Shoot podiums
Shooters from several countries participated in the test event, but it was Germany that pocketed most of the medals. It was Niklas Heyser of Germany, a 1989 class shooter competing for the SV Heiligenrode team, who won the ISSF Run & Shoot Man final with a time of 12’24’’8 on five runs of 600 meters, beating Germany’s Tobias Heutmann (second with 12’55’’3) and Sergej Demykin (third with 21’24’’7) of the Westflaischer Schutzenbund team. On the same distance, Ira Kuhne (GER) of the Westflaischer Schutzenbund team won the ISSF Run & Shoot Women match with a time of 16’11’’6, while it was Per Heyser (GER) of the Heiligenrode team who won the Junior Men event (athletes born between 1992 and 1994) with a time of 12’53’’2.
The Youth Category (athletes born between 1995 and 1997), staged on the distance of five runs of 400 meters, saw the vioctory of Pascal Schwarz and Jana Landwehr, both shooting for the Westflaischer Schutzenbund team. The two German shooters won the Youth Men and Youth Women matches with a time of 10’48’’5 and 12’27’’1 respectively.
In the Student age group (athletes born in 1998 and younger), also competing on the distance 5x400 meters, Leonie Litzenbauer, a 1999’s girl from Germany of the SV 1905e.V. Rotensee club, won the match with 12’58’’8.