The 3-time 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Olympic Champion quit at the ISSF World Cup Final held in Bangkok. He made it to the final (then won by Czech Republic’s Strnad), and finished in fourth. “But I will be back, as a coach.”
Today’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men final, at the ISSF World Cup Final in Bangkok, will be remembered for the announcement of Ralf Schumann, the most titled German Olympian. The 3-time Olympic Champion chose this event, the last match of the 2012 season, to say good-by, after a 35-year long career.
Bangkok’s final match was his stage to announce it.
Czech Republic’s Martin Strnad won the match. The 38-year old shoote secured the trophy by hitting 32 targets in the final. After qualifying for the final match with 585 points, he climbed up in the lead from the 5th place on the start list, pocketing his first ISSF Gold medal ever
Strnad beat Germany’s Christian Reitz, the 2008 Olympic Bronze medallist, in the knock-out final. Reitz, who came here to defend the title won in 2011, hit 29 targets and secured the Silver medal. Behinf them,. the Bronze medal went to Zhang Jian, 24, of the People’s Republic of China, who secured a spot on the podium with 25 hits, after qualifying for the match with 588 points.
But this competition will specially be remembered for the athlete who came in fourth. The best Rapid Fire shooter of all times, Ralf Schumann of Germany, turning 50 this year, left the shooting world scoring 22 hits here in Bangkok.
After winning three Olympic Golds, two Olympic Silvers (the last in Beijing 2008), as well as two ISSF World Championships and 13 ISSF World Cup Finals, he decided to change life.
“I will become a full-time coach in Suhl.” Schumann explained. “I have been competing for 35 years. I have been 30 years in the German National Team. I feel it’s time to move on, and change my life.”
“I will still be part of the international shooting world, but I will see this from a different prospective.” The German shooter said.
“I have competed in more than 700 matches, in my career. I feel I have a lot to pass forward to the young generations.”
Will the champion be able to start a new chapter in his life?
“I will never come back, I believe.” He said. “I made it for so long just because of my strong beliefs, and I will try to keep my word also this time. It has been nice, but it’s over.”
Schumann lives his shooting career with an unmatched medal showcase, after winning 39 World Cup Stages, from his first victory at the 1986 ISSF World Cup Stage in Zurich, to his last Gold at the 2008 World Cup in Munich. His last international podium, a Bronze medal won in Milan this year, qualified him for this ISSF World Cup Final in Bangkok, where he decided to salute the shooting world.
“I will be back. As a coach. Hopefully I will be able to become the National Coach of Germany, in a couple of years, and I will be back on the international scene.”