More than seventy athletes took part on May 1st in the Target Sprint competition in Suhl (GER), during the ISSF Junior World Cup.
ISSF Target Sprint is an event that aims at attracting new, young athletes combining precision shooting and running skills, in a mix of Air Rifle and middle distance running. Not only it requires an athlete to be a fast and accurate shooter, but it also asks for resistance and physical fitness.
The competition was conducted in an outdoor circuit, a 400-metre track. To win, athletes needed to run a first 400-metre, reach the shooting layout and hit the 5 falling targets. No matter how many shots are required, once they hit all the targets they can leave the shooting bay and sprint for another run around the circuit. After a second stop at the shooting layout, they run another 400-metre lap, leading to the finish line.
Obviously, the first athlete who cross the finish line, wins the match.
Eight different categories of shooters participated in this event in Suhl: Men and Women Student, for shooters born between 2002 and 2004; Men and Women Youth, for shooters born between 1999 and 2001, Men and Women Junior, for shooter born between 1996 and 1998; and Men and Women, for shooters born between 1971 and 1995.
In the Student category, Clemens Kroiß and Marie Hubl, both of Germany, pocketed the Men and Women Gold medal, respectively. Kroiß concluded with a time of 7:07,3, beating Silver medallist Moritz Buschsieweke and Bronze medallist Finn Wetzke, both of Germany.
Hubl, instead, finished with a time of 6:59,4, beating 2nd placed Lilith Grupe and 3rd placed Hannah Mederer, also of Germany.
In the Youth category, Söhnke Jabusch and Celina Sternthal placed on the highest step of the two podiums.
In the Men event, Jabusch battled all along the track with Simon Meigen, eventually bating him for less than ten seconds. Jabusch, in fact, concluded with a time of 5:27,3, while Silver medallist Meigen recorded a 5:37,0.
In the Women event, Sternthal finished with 5:49,1, prevailing over Katharina Käthner, 2nd, and Edith Buschsieweke, 3rd. All the six medallists in this category were competing for Germany.
In the Junior category Germany’s Sven Müller recorded the fastest time of the whole competition, finishing with 5:14,9 and claiming the 1st step of the podium, where he was joined by Stefan Moß and Philip Usbeck, respectively the Silver and the Bronze medallist.
In the Women Junior event, then, Anja Fischer dominated the competition, closing with a time of 5:50,3, almost forty seconds more than 2nd placed Barbara Stern, who prevailed over Frederike Grah in a sprint for the Silver medal. All six medallists of the Junior categories were representing Germany.
In the fourth and final category, Germany’s Paul Böttner ruled the Men’s competition with a final time of 5:49,0, collecting the Gold medal and besting Florian Schmid, who concluded 2nd, and Steffen Hannich, who placed 3rd, both competing for Germany.
In the Women event, another German athlete, Anita Flack, secured the Gold medal with the second fastest time of the whole Target Sprint competition, finishing with 5:19,6, and preceding Silver medallist Jana Landwehr of Germany by just 6,7 seconds. 3rd, winner of the Bronze medal, placed Annika Schlegel, also of Germany.
No special equipment was required to take part in this event, but a pair of running shoes. The organizing committee, in fact, provided the falling-targets and the air rifles to all the participants.