Norway's Jeanette Hegg Duestad was true to form today, with the favourite exorcising demons of world title near-misses to claim the gold medal in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions final at the 2025 ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol in Cairo, Egypt.
She held her nerve to become the world champion in the event for the first time, beating Swiss 17-year-old Emely Jaeggi to the title. Great Britain's Seonaid McIntosh won her world first medal in an Olympic event off the back of just four weeks training following a year out - taking the bronze.
Qualification
Jeanette Hegg Duestad has been the standout performer in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions this season, with two golds and a silver from the 2025 ISSF World Cup. She showed that form was still there as she topped qualification with a score of 595.
China's Wang Zifei, who was pipped to the women's 10m air rifle title, looked good in second place with 593. Her only other final in the distance came in Buenos Aires this season in the World Cup where she finished fourth. Swiss sisters Emely and Vivien Jaeggi were matched on 592, followed by the 19-year-old Oh Se-hee of the Republic of Korea on 591, who was making her debut in ISSF senior competition.
It was a moment to remember for Great Britain's Seonaid McIntosh, who returned for the first time since the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after time off due to surgery. She scored 589 to make the top eight, level with the 2018 10m air rifle world champion Im Ha-na of the Republic of Korea and Japan's Misaki Nobata, who were both competing in their first-ever 50m rifle 3 positions final in ISSF competition.
In ninth and 10th were Mongolia's Yesugen Oyunbat and Agathe Girard of France. Nina Christen was just one shot away from making it three Swiss women in the final in 11th, while European champion Rikke Ibsen of Denmark was in 26th. Olympic silver medallist Sagen Maddalena was 29th, China's Han Jiayu in 35th and world number two Sift Kaur Samra was 48th.
She held her nerve to become the world champion in the event for the first time, beating Swiss 17-year-old Emely Jaeggi to the title. Great Britain's Seonaid McIntosh won her world first medal in an Olympic event off the back of just four weeks training following a year out - taking the bronze.
Qualification
Jeanette Hegg Duestad has been the standout performer in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions this season, with two golds and a silver from the 2025 ISSF World Cup. She showed that form was still there as she topped qualification with a score of 595.
China's Wang Zifei, who was pipped to the women's 10m air rifle title, looked good in second place with 593. Her only other final in the distance came in Buenos Aires this season in the World Cup where she finished fourth. Swiss sisters Emely and Vivien Jaeggi were matched on 592, followed by the 19-year-old Oh Se-hee of the Republic of Korea on 591, who was making her debut in ISSF senior competition.
It was a moment to remember for Great Britain's Seonaid McIntosh, who returned for the first time since the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after time off due to surgery. She scored 589 to make the top eight, level with the 2018 10m air rifle world champion Im Ha-na of the Republic of Korea and Japan's Misaki Nobata, who were both competing in their first-ever 50m rifle 3 positions final in ISSF competition.
In ninth and 10th were Mongolia's Yesugen Oyunbat and Agathe Girard of France. Nina Christen was just one shot away from making it three Swiss women in the final in 11th, while European champion Rikke Ibsen of Denmark was in 26th. Olympic silver medallist Sagen Maddalena was 29th, China's Han Jiayu in 35th and world number two Sift Kaur Samra was 48th.
The Final
Jeanette Hegg Duestad put down a marker in the kneeling section of 156.0, but the early leader was Oh Se-hee with a tremendous 157.0. Much like qualification, Vivien and Emely Jaeggi were effectively inseparable in third and fourth on 155.0 and 154.9.
Seonaid McIntosh was next on 154.2, closely followed by Im Ha-na on 154.0. There were difficult starts for Wang Zifei and Misaki Nobata at the back of the field, who scored 151.1 and 149.9.
Duestad would take the lead when the prone section ended - jumping far ahead of Oh, who dropped to fifth place. The Norwegian now had a total of 313.1, but she would not be the best over the prone. That would be Emely Jaeggi, who was now 0.1 off the top spot. Her sister and Im were locked in joint-third on 311.5, ahead of Oh on 311.1. Wang and McIntosh were adrift, but locked in a close battle on 309.6 and 309.3, while Nobata would not be able to bridge the gap - now sitting on 306.3.
Two would depart after the first 10 standing shots - and it was a great first five for McIntosh, who was able to pull away from Wang and suddenly find herself in joint-fourth with Oh, close behind Vivien Jaeggi, who sat in third. It was not a good series for Im, who recorded a couple of scores below nine. The Korean looked destined to join Nobata in the bottom two. This was confirmed after the next five shots, with Im in seventh and Nobata in eighth.
At the front, Duestad pulled away from Emely Jaeggi thanks to her consistency, building a gap of 1.4 for a total of 415.8. The big winner in those next five shots was Oh, who moved into third on 413.4, followed by Vivien Jaeggi on 412.5 and McIntosh on 412.3, who was shooting well, but scored under 10 on two occasions. Wang was in the danger zone in sixth on 410.1.
Jeanette Hegg Duestad put down a marker in the kneeling section of 156.0, but the early leader was Oh Se-hee with a tremendous 157.0. Much like qualification, Vivien and Emely Jaeggi were effectively inseparable in third and fourth on 155.0 and 154.9.
Seonaid McIntosh was next on 154.2, closely followed by Im Ha-na on 154.0. There were difficult starts for Wang Zifei and Misaki Nobata at the back of the field, who scored 151.1 and 149.9.
Duestad would take the lead when the prone section ended - jumping far ahead of Oh, who dropped to fifth place. The Norwegian now had a total of 313.1, but she would not be the best over the prone. That would be Emely Jaeggi, who was now 0.1 off the top spot. Her sister and Im were locked in joint-third on 311.5, ahead of Oh on 311.1. Wang and McIntosh were adrift, but locked in a close battle on 309.6 and 309.3, while Nobata would not be able to bridge the gap - now sitting on 306.3.
Two would depart after the first 10 standing shots - and it was a great first five for McIntosh, who was able to pull away from Wang and suddenly find herself in joint-fourth with Oh, close behind Vivien Jaeggi, who sat in third. It was not a good series for Im, who recorded a couple of scores below nine. The Korean looked destined to join Nobata in the bottom two. This was confirmed after the next five shots, with Im in seventh and Nobata in eighth.
At the front, Duestad pulled away from Emely Jaeggi thanks to her consistency, building a gap of 1.4 for a total of 415.8. The big winner in those next five shots was Oh, who moved into third on 413.4, followed by Vivien Jaeggi on 412.5 and McIntosh on 412.3, who was shooting well, but scored under 10 on two occasions. Wang was in the danger zone in sixth on 410.1.
Single Standing Shots See Demise of Oh, as McIntosh Makes Late Claim for Medals
Having that advantage in the single shots is always advantageous - knowing there are just five shots until the end of the competition.
Wang needed something spectacular as well as something disastrous from her opponents, to remain in the competition, but a 9.7 would not be enough, leaving the young Chinese in a respectable sixth. McIntosh resurrected on her first single shot, scoring a 10.8 to take a great chunk out of the leads Oh and Vivien Jaeggi had over her, with these athletes scoring 9.9. and 9.3 respectively. This would drop the Swiss athlete into fifth, 1.3 behind McIntosh.
At the front, Duestad pushed her lead out some more with a 10.3 as Emely Jaeggi shot a 10.0. She now had a 1.1-point gap back to third-placed Oh, but a 1.7 deficit to first.
Vivien Jaeggi had work to do in her bid to stay in the final and with her 10.3 being matched by McIntosh, she looked to be out of contention. But this final always throws a shock in the mix, and an 8.7 from Oh brought the Korean 0.1 behind the Swiss athlete, dropping her out of the medal spots and the competition.
At the front, Duestad had been enjoying her lead extending, but a 10.6 from Emely Jaeggi brought that back down to just over a point, as the Norwegian shot a 10.1.
Having that advantage in the single shots is always advantageous - knowing there are just five shots until the end of the competition.
Wang needed something spectacular as well as something disastrous from her opponents, to remain in the competition, but a 9.7 would not be enough, leaving the young Chinese in a respectable sixth. McIntosh resurrected on her first single shot, scoring a 10.8 to take a great chunk out of the leads Oh and Vivien Jaeggi had over her, with these athletes scoring 9.9. and 9.3 respectively. This would drop the Swiss athlete into fifth, 1.3 behind McIntosh.
At the front, Duestad pushed her lead out some more with a 10.3 as Emely Jaeggi shot a 10.0. She now had a 1.1-point gap back to third-placed Oh, but a 1.7 deficit to first.
Vivien Jaeggi had work to do in her bid to stay in the final and with her 10.3 being matched by McIntosh, she looked to be out of contention. But this final always throws a shock in the mix, and an 8.7 from Oh brought the Korean 0.1 behind the Swiss athlete, dropping her out of the medal spots and the competition.
At the front, Duestad had been enjoying her lead extending, but a 10.6 from Emely Jaeggi brought that back down to just over a point, as the Norwegian shot a 10.1.
Incredible Final Ends With Gold for Duestad
Jeanette Hegg Duestad would have felt the pressure of the occasion on her shoulders. Despite being the most in-form athlete, she also held that title going into the European Championship. Having a 1.4 lead over Rikke Ibsen going into the last shot, the Norwegian scored 8.0. Her opponent's perfect 10.9 saw her drop into the silver medal position.
Sure she would not repeat this, she kept her cool going into the final four - scoring a 10.0, as the 17-year-old Emely Jaeggi dropped a 9.7, making the gap now 1.5. Showing her quality in those pressure moments, McIntosh seemed to be rid of her errors that saw her fluctuate in the midfield, scoring a tremendous 10.8. Now, she was just 0.5 points behind the Swiss in silver.
But a dream Jaeggi sisters podium came to an end as a result of the Scot's high score. Vivien Jaeggi shot well with a 10.6, but the deficit was too much to make up. The 19-year-old finished in the heartbreaking fourth position.
The medallists were now confirmed, but McIntosh was still breathing down the neck of the youngster. A 10.4 gave her a chance of staying in the competition, but Jaeggi held her nerve to keep herself in the top two with a 10.3. Meanwhile, Duestad's 10.2 gave her a lead of 1.4.
The same gap from that European Championship was the difference between the pair and the Norwegian's 9.7 would not be enough to mathematically confirm the gold - but it would require the youngster scoring a 10.8.
This time, a perfect score would not ruin the dream of Duestad as Jaeggi shot well with a 10.3 to equal the world junior record of China's Zhang Qiongyue with 465.3. For the Norwegian, her total of 465.8 made her the world champion in this event for the first time.
China's Wang Zifei, Miao Wanru and Han Jiayu took the team gold with a total of 1766 ahead of Switzerland's Jaeggi sisters and Nina Christen on 1761. Arina Malinovskaya, Yelizaveta Bezrukova and Alexandra Le of Kazakhstan claimed the bronze by one point ahead of Norway on 1758.
Jeanette Hegg Duestad would have felt the pressure of the occasion on her shoulders. Despite being the most in-form athlete, she also held that title going into the European Championship. Having a 1.4 lead over Rikke Ibsen going into the last shot, the Norwegian scored 8.0. Her opponent's perfect 10.9 saw her drop into the silver medal position.
Sure she would not repeat this, she kept her cool going into the final four - scoring a 10.0, as the 17-year-old Emely Jaeggi dropped a 9.7, making the gap now 1.5. Showing her quality in those pressure moments, McIntosh seemed to be rid of her errors that saw her fluctuate in the midfield, scoring a tremendous 10.8. Now, she was just 0.5 points behind the Swiss in silver.
But a dream Jaeggi sisters podium came to an end as a result of the Scot's high score. Vivien Jaeggi shot well with a 10.6, but the deficit was too much to make up. The 19-year-old finished in the heartbreaking fourth position.
The medallists were now confirmed, but McIntosh was still breathing down the neck of the youngster. A 10.4 gave her a chance of staying in the competition, but Jaeggi held her nerve to keep herself in the top two with a 10.3. Meanwhile, Duestad's 10.2 gave her a lead of 1.4.
The same gap from that European Championship was the difference between the pair and the Norwegian's 9.7 would not be enough to mathematically confirm the gold - but it would require the youngster scoring a 10.8.
This time, a perfect score would not ruin the dream of Duestad as Jaeggi shot well with a 10.3 to equal the world junior record of China's Zhang Qiongyue with 465.3. For the Norwegian, her total of 465.8 made her the world champion in this event for the first time.
China's Wang Zifei, Miao Wanru and Han Jiayu took the team gold with a total of 1766 ahead of Switzerland's Jaeggi sisters and Nina Christen on 1761. Arina Malinovskaya, Yelizaveta Bezrukova and Alexandra Le of Kazakhstan claimed the bronze by one point ahead of Norway on 1758.
What the Athletes Had to Say
Jeanette Hegg Duestad said: "It's mostly relief for me. This season has been so good and this biggest championship could have been a little hard to manage to keep up the pressure in the World Championship final and to win gold, it was joy, but mostly just relief.
"I wanted a medal today, but it's not easy to just order it and it's even harder just to order the gold, so I had to work hard with all these young girls fighting behind me. It was a tough final, but I think I managed good and kept my thoughts on the right path.
"Because the Olympic events are a little more important to me and I was in close in the 10m [air rifle final], just 0.7 behind, I really wanted that final. They were shooting insanely good in this final and to be in a final like that always make it easier in the second final, so I hoped the air rifle would keep up the pressure a bit more today. It was a hard qualification, but it felt good the entire way and I came into the final with a lot of confidence.
"Mostly I will just take this in and applaud myself. Today we're going on a tourism thing so we are going to see the pyramids and going to the museum, so I think we will have a great afternoon."
Emely Jaeggi said: "I can't describe my emotions right now, it's a lot. I think I just have to celebrate first because I can't realise that I did it, that I managed it.
"I like competing in Egypt, I was very excited to come back here. To be honest I was scared because it was my first senior World Championship, but I had a lot of fun and also with my sister. It was definitely a real achievement shooting with her in the final.
"It was beautiful. I like to shoot with her. She gave me the power to shoot good because I knew that she is here. She doesn't help me directly but she gives me the strength to fight for medals."
Seonaid McIntosh said: "I'm really happy. I've just come back after over a year off, so I wasn't expecting a medal.
"There's still a lot to improve on, my sling shooting wasn't very good and my standing has not been very good recently, but done me good today, so there's plenty to improve on, which is nice because it shows I've got somewhere to go.
"It's happened before [where I moved up the standings] but I wasn't confident with my standing going into it. It's been ropey recently, so yeah, a few 10.8s - that's nice. I started training again at the start of October so I had about four weeks training before I came out here. The goal is World Championships next year, so you'll be seeing a lot of me, hopefully."
Jeanette Hegg Duestad said: "It's mostly relief for me. This season has been so good and this biggest championship could have been a little hard to manage to keep up the pressure in the World Championship final and to win gold, it was joy, but mostly just relief.
"I wanted a medal today, but it's not easy to just order it and it's even harder just to order the gold, so I had to work hard with all these young girls fighting behind me. It was a tough final, but I think I managed good and kept my thoughts on the right path.
"Because the Olympic events are a little more important to me and I was in close in the 10m [air rifle final], just 0.7 behind, I really wanted that final. They were shooting insanely good in this final and to be in a final like that always make it easier in the second final, so I hoped the air rifle would keep up the pressure a bit more today. It was a hard qualification, but it felt good the entire way and I came into the final with a lot of confidence.
"Mostly I will just take this in and applaud myself. Today we're going on a tourism thing so we are going to see the pyramids and going to the museum, so I think we will have a great afternoon."
Emely Jaeggi said: "I can't describe my emotions right now, it's a lot. I think I just have to celebrate first because I can't realise that I did it, that I managed it.
"I like competing in Egypt, I was very excited to come back here. To be honest I was scared because it was my first senior World Championship, but I had a lot of fun and also with my sister. It was definitely a real achievement shooting with her in the final.
"It was beautiful. I like to shoot with her. She gave me the power to shoot good because I knew that she is here. She doesn't help me directly but she gives me the strength to fight for medals."
Seonaid McIntosh said: "I'm really happy. I've just come back after over a year off, so I wasn't expecting a medal.
"There's still a lot to improve on, my sling shooting wasn't very good and my standing has not been very good recently, but done me good today, so there's plenty to improve on, which is nice because it shows I've got somewhere to go.
"It's happened before [where I moved up the standings] but I wasn't confident with my standing going into it. It's been ropey recently, so yeah, a few 10.8s - that's nice. I started training again at the start of October so I had about four weeks training before I came out here. The goal is World Championships next year, so you'll be seeing a lot of me, hopefully."