Paris 2024 preview (50m rifle 3 positions women): McIntosh, Sift and Janssen converge in pursuit of gold

50M RIFLE 3 POSITIONS WOMEN

This will be one of the most keenly anticipated contests of the programme in Paris, with a big focus on India’s world record holder Sift Kaur Samra and the two women currently ranked world No.1 and No.2, respectively, Britain’s Seonaid McIntosh (pictured) and Germany’s Anna Janssen.

Heading into the Games, McIntosh, 28, has been bringing her huge talent into ever sharper focus.

At last year’s World Cup in Baku this Scottish competitor set a world record of 467.0 points.

That mark was beaten later in 2023 as Sift won the Asian Games title in Hangzhou, improving the record to 469.6, and the Indian athlete began this year by winning silver at the Asian Championships in Jakarta behind another strong Paris 2024 contender, Eunseo Lee of the Republic of Korea.

But McIntosh - who won a world 50m rifle prone title in 2018 - laid down her own marker in the first ISSF World Cup of the year in Cairo where she won in 469.6, just 0.3 shy of the current world record.

And the Scottish athlete has continued in winning vein, taking gold in one of the two finals held at the ISSF World Cup in Baku and topping the podium again in the last World Cup of the season in Munich.

On the latter occasion she prevailed against China’s 22-year-old 10m air rifle world champion Han Jiayu, who took silver, and Sift, who took bronze.

Han, who will also contest the 10m air rifle in Paris, will form a formidable Chinese presence along with the 20-year-old who beat her to the world title in this event last year, Zhang Qiongyue.

Switzerland’s selection of the defending champion Nina Christen and Chiara Leone, world-ranked No.2, means that there will not be the opportunity for 15-year-old Emely Jaeggi to become the youngest ever shooting sport Olympian and cannot be ruled out of medal contention.

Jaeggi, who won the world junior title last year, announced herself in terms of senior competition as she earned bronze in Cairo in what was her debut ISSF World Cup appearance.

She then put herself into a position to make history by winning one of the two women’s Olympic Quota places on offer at the Final Olympic qualifier in Rio de Janeiro on April 20, when she earned silver behind Norway’s World Cup Final gold medallist Jeanette Hegg Duestad.

The latter, having finished fourth in both the 50m rifle 3 positions and 10m air rifle at the Tokyo Games, is another major medal contender in Paris.

The young Swiss competitor underlined her potential by taking bronze at the European Championships before equalling the qualifying world record of 596, also a world junior record, at the Munich World Cup.

Janssen, world-ranked No.1 in the 50m rifle 3 positions, has had a hugely impressive season in both rifle events, and looks sure to be making a big impact in Paris.

Another strong challenge will come from world bronze medallist Sagen Maddalena of the United States, who has shown consistently good form this season.

2024 results

Asia Olympic Qualification/Champs Rifle/Pistol – Jakarta Jan

Eunseo Lee (KOR), Sift Kaur Samra (IND), Ashi Chouksey (IND)

ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun Cairo Jan-Feb

Seonaid McIntosh (GBR), Chiara Leone (SUI), Emely Jaeggi (SUI)

Olympic Qualification CAT XIV Rifle/Pistol Buenos Aires March-April

Sagen Maddalena (USA), Geovana Meyer (BRA), Shannon Westlake (CAN)

ISSF Final Olympic Qualification Championship Rifle/Pistol Rio de Janeiro April

Jeanette Duestad (NOR), Emely Jaeggi (SUI), Chiara Leone (SUI)

ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun Baku May

(double finals in rifle and pistol following sole 10m competition at Granada WC)

First 50m rifle 3p women Anna Janssen (GER), Nina Christen (SUI), Han Jiayu (CHN)