The first worldwide event of the 2026 shooting sport calendar got underway today, with the 10m air rifle and 10m air pistol action at the ISSF Grand Prix in Ruse, Slovenia.
Our first taste of the form of athletes this year, it is an opportunity to see rising stars face off against world and Olympic champions.
It was also the first chance to see the new mixed team format for 10m air rifle, which now sees the top four teams qualify for one final, instead of Gold and Bronze medal matches.
Mixed Team
Some of the world's best lined up in qualification, knowing that finishing fourth was just as important as finishing first. For Croatians Valentina Gustin Sipek and Petar Gorsa, their consistency took them to the top on a combined total of 630.0.
Two German teams would follow - in second place was Anna Janssen and men's world champion Maximilian Dallinger on 628.5, and then Hanna Buehlmeyer and Maximilian Ulbrich on 627.9. The fourth spot saw one Spanish team in at the expense of another. Helena Arias Casals recorded the best women's score of 315.4 to help her and Jorge Estevez Solorzano into the final place on 627.5; 0.7 ahead of Ines Martinon and Jesus Oviedo.
The final consisted of three series of fives shots each, with three series of three elimination shots. Janssen and Dallinger were followed by Arias and Estevez, but a miss in the second series dropped the Spanish pair to the back of the pack. They would move back into third ahead of the Croatians heading into the elimination stage, but they were far behind the German teams.
Gorsa and Gustin Sipek crucially scored 21.6 - the joint-best score of the final, to sneak ahead of Arias and Estevez, meaning they would take the bronze. Heading into the elimination stage, Janssen and Dallinger had a 0.7-point lead over Buehlmeyer and Ulbrich, but the quality of the chasers in their next three shots turned the final on its head. Their next three scores were all above 21, including a 21.6 from a possible 21.8. They now had a 1.7 cushion with six shots left. Credit could go to Janssen and Dallinger for pulling themselves back towards their opponents, but they could not close it enough. Buehlmeyer and Ulbrich finished with 502.7 for gold, ahead of Janssen and Dallinger on 501.8.
Our first taste of the form of athletes this year, it is an opportunity to see rising stars face off against world and Olympic champions.
It was also the first chance to see the new mixed team format for 10m air rifle, which now sees the top four teams qualify for one final, instead of Gold and Bronze medal matches.
Mixed Team
Some of the world's best lined up in qualification, knowing that finishing fourth was just as important as finishing first. For Croatians Valentina Gustin Sipek and Petar Gorsa, their consistency took them to the top on a combined total of 630.0.
Two German teams would follow - in second place was Anna Janssen and men's world champion Maximilian Dallinger on 628.5, and then Hanna Buehlmeyer and Maximilian Ulbrich on 627.9. The fourth spot saw one Spanish team in at the expense of another. Helena Arias Casals recorded the best women's score of 315.4 to help her and Jorge Estevez Solorzano into the final place on 627.5; 0.7 ahead of Ines Martinon and Jesus Oviedo.
The final consisted of three series of fives shots each, with three series of three elimination shots. Janssen and Dallinger were followed by Arias and Estevez, but a miss in the second series dropped the Spanish pair to the back of the pack. They would move back into third ahead of the Croatians heading into the elimination stage, but they were far behind the German teams.
Gorsa and Gustin Sipek crucially scored 21.6 - the joint-best score of the final, to sneak ahead of Arias and Estevez, meaning they would take the bronze. Heading into the elimination stage, Janssen and Dallinger had a 0.7-point lead over Buehlmeyer and Ulbrich, but the quality of the chasers in their next three shots turned the final on its head. Their next three scores were all above 21, including a 21.6 from a possible 21.8. They now had a 1.7 cushion with six shots left. Credit could go to Janssen and Dallinger for pulling themselves back towards their opponents, but they could not close it enough. Buehlmeyer and Ulbrich finished with 502.7 for gold, ahead of Janssen and Dallinger on 501.8.
Women's 10m Air Pistol
In the first individual event of the ISSF Grand Prix, Anja Prezelj set a standard far above her previous efforts in 2024 and 2025, where she finished 22nd and 13th respectively. The home favourite guaranteed her place in the final with a score of 580, seven above her nearest rival in qualification, Hungary's Sara Fabian.
French pair Mathilde Lamolle and Alisson Gallien completed the top four, while Australia's Tanvi Lathwal, who turned 16 last month, was fifth on her senior international debut.
Other teen prospecst, Prezelj's teammate Manja Slak and Spain's Ines Ortega Castro, also made the cut; as did Republic of Korea's Kim Ju-hee.
But it was Fabian and Lamolle who were in the top two after 10 shots, followed by Slak and Ortega, a point gap behind, and Prezelj between two packs in fifth. Unsurprisingly, the back three were the first to be eliminated - first being Lathwal, then Kim and then Gallien.
By this point, Ortega had recovered from an 8.0, with four of her next five shots being 10.4 and above, meaning she now had a small lead over Fabian. The other three were separated by just 0.3, but a 9.6 and 8.6 meant Slak finished fifth and Lamolle made a gap to Prezelj, which she maintained to win the bronze.
When down to three, it was actually the Spanish athlete in third with Fabian leading, with just 0.4 between them. A 9.9 and 9.8 kept her just in the fight for gold when Lamolle scored 9.8 and 9.6. Fabian's 10.4 and 9.3 kept that 0.4 lead.
But the Hungarian scored 8.8 on her final shot and Ortega's 9.7 and 10.3 would give her the win with a total of 236.4 and her opponent on 234.8.
In the first individual event of the ISSF Grand Prix, Anja Prezelj set a standard far above her previous efforts in 2024 and 2025, where she finished 22nd and 13th respectively. The home favourite guaranteed her place in the final with a score of 580, seven above her nearest rival in qualification, Hungary's Sara Fabian.
French pair Mathilde Lamolle and Alisson Gallien completed the top four, while Australia's Tanvi Lathwal, who turned 16 last month, was fifth on her senior international debut.
Other teen prospecst, Prezelj's teammate Manja Slak and Spain's Ines Ortega Castro, also made the cut; as did Republic of Korea's Kim Ju-hee.
But it was Fabian and Lamolle who were in the top two after 10 shots, followed by Slak and Ortega, a point gap behind, and Prezelj between two packs in fifth. Unsurprisingly, the back three were the first to be eliminated - first being Lathwal, then Kim and then Gallien.
By this point, Ortega had recovered from an 8.0, with four of her next five shots being 10.4 and above, meaning she now had a small lead over Fabian. The other three were separated by just 0.3, but a 9.6 and 8.6 meant Slak finished fifth and Lamolle made a gap to Prezelj, which she maintained to win the bronze.
When down to three, it was actually the Spanish athlete in third with Fabian leading, with just 0.4 between them. A 9.9 and 9.8 kept her just in the fight for gold when Lamolle scored 9.8 and 9.6. Fabian's 10.4 and 9.3 kept that 0.4 lead.
But the Hungarian scored 8.8 on her final shot and Ortega's 9.7 and 10.3 would give her the win with a total of 236.4 and her opponent on 234.8.
Men's 10m Air Pistol
France's Antoine Naucodie finished top of men's qualification with a score of 577, two ahead of the impressive Slovakian Juraj Tuzinsky. Slovenia's Saso Stojak finished third, ahead of the French pair of Theo Moczko and Tom Stepanoff.
Spain's Lucas Sanchez Tome, Benjamin Paulino of Australia and Slovakia's Peter Balaz completed the final line-up.
The first competition stage ended with Tuzinsky with a comfortable lead and a score of 101.7. The only athlete to also go over 100 was Sanchez, on 100.1. Elsewhere it was quite tight, meaning Paulino and Balaz's 8.5 in their first elimination shots would leave them in eighth and seventh.
Stojak would get the better of Moczko, but both would exit in fifth and sixth. But out front was Tuzinsky, who was under no pressure thanks to his consistency, finishing on a total of 240.4. Stepanoff would miss out on the podium in fourth, meaning Sanchez and Naucodie were locked in a fight for silver. With six shots to go, the Frenchman made two errors, bringing him far behind. Sanchez pulled away, placing second on 237.1.
France's Antoine Naucodie finished top of men's qualification with a score of 577, two ahead of the impressive Slovakian Juraj Tuzinsky. Slovenia's Saso Stojak finished third, ahead of the French pair of Theo Moczko and Tom Stepanoff.
Spain's Lucas Sanchez Tome, Benjamin Paulino of Australia and Slovakia's Peter Balaz completed the final line-up.
The first competition stage ended with Tuzinsky with a comfortable lead and a score of 101.7. The only athlete to also go over 100 was Sanchez, on 100.1. Elsewhere it was quite tight, meaning Paulino and Balaz's 8.5 in their first elimination shots would leave them in eighth and seventh.
Stojak would get the better of Moczko, but both would exit in fifth and sixth. But out front was Tuzinsky, who was under no pressure thanks to his consistency, finishing on a total of 240.4. Stepanoff would miss out on the podium in fourth, meaning Sanchez and Naucodie were locked in a fight for silver. With six shots to go, the Frenchman made two errors, bringing him far behind. Sanchez pulled away, placing second on 237.1.