50M RIFLE 3 POSITIONS MEN
China’s Liu Yukun competes with the word LUCKY emblazoned on one leg of his shooting outfit – but there has been nothing lucky about the way that this 27-year-old showman has forced his way back to the top of his event this year.
Yukun is heading for his first Olympics in Paris as a favourite having set two world records in the space of three days at the ISSF World Cup in Baku.
With numerous events in Baku holding two finals in order to even up ranking point opportunities following a World Cup in Granada that only featured 10m competitions, Yukun made the absolute most of his opportunities on May 9 and May 11.
In the first final he added 1.2 points to the world record in totalling 467.3, with his 21-year-old compatriot Du Linshu, who has a Paris 2024 place for both this and the 10m air rifle event, taking silver on 466.1.
Du’s total equalled the existing world record set by Czechia's 23-year-old Jiri Privratsky in winning last year’s World Cup on this same Olympic Shooting Range, and was also a world junior record.
It was a tough day for the 23-year-old Czech athlete, who lost bronze after scoring 9.5 on his final shot, with France’s Lucas Kryzs, the 2023 World Cup Final champion, turning a 0.2 deficit into a 0.4 advantage with an effort of 10.1.
Privratsky took bronze in the second final two days later – but the limelight went once again to Liu, who improved his record to 468.9. After his first final had said airily that such a result was “very common” to him in training. It seemed he was not joking.
Liu finished the World Cup season with a flourish in Munich last month, equalling the qualifying world record of 597 set by Du the previous year, although he finished two places off the podium in the final.
Liu, Du and Kryzs, who will be extra keen to succeed on home ground, are three of the men to watch. Kryzs earned his first global title in 2023 at the age of 23 in narrowly beating Liu to gold at the World Cup Final in Doha. Could history yet repeat itself?
But the spread of talent is deep and wide. Privratsky is currently ranked world No.1, one place ahead of Liu, after a hugely consistent season.
Also to be reckoned with is the Austrian who finished second to Liu in the second of those Baku finals, Alexander Schmirl, who won a first world title last year at the age of 34.
Other names in the frame include the Czech Republic’s 2022 European champion and world silver medallist Petr Nymbursky, India’s Asian silver medallist Aishwary Tomar, France’s Romain Aufrere, Aleksi Leppa of Finland, Norway’s European champion Jon-Hermann Hegg, Istvan Peni of Hungary and Norway’s Ole Halvorsen.
Seventh place in the 50m rifle 3 positions at the Olympic qualifier in Rio, in what was his first international ISSF event, was enough to earn 30-year-old Michael Bargeron – who holds a master’s degree in physics and astronomy - an Olympic quota place and the opportunity of becoming the first British shooting sport athlete to compete in an Olympic rifle event since London 2012.
He will also contest the 10m air rifle and the 10m air rifle mixed team with Seonaid McIntosh.
2024 results
Asia Olympic Qualification/Champs Rifle/Pistol – Jakarta Jan
Akhil Sheoran (Ind), Aishwary Tomar (Ind), Thongphaphum Vongsukdee (Tha)
ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun Cairo Jan-Feb
Jiri Privratsky (Cz), Romain Aufrere (Fr), Akhil Sheoran (Ind)
Olympic Qualification CAT XIV Rifle/Pistol Buenos Aires March-April
Ivan Roe (USA), Tye Ikeda (CAN), Marcello Zoccali Albizu (ARG)
ISSF Final Olympic Qualification Championship Rifle/Pistol Rio de Janeiro April
Aleksi Leppa (FIN), Jiri Privratsky(CZ), Ole Halvorsen (NOR)
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 men Liu Yukin (CH), Du Linshu (CH), Lucas Kryzs (FR)
Second 50m rifle 3p men Liu Yukin (CH), alexander Schmirl (AUT), Jiri Privratsky (CZ)
European Championships 25m – 50m Rifle/Pistol Osijek May
Jon-Hermann Hegg (NOR), Serhiy Kulish (UKR), Patrik Jany (SVK)
ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol Munich May-June
Ole Halvorsen (NOR), Istvan Peni (HUN), Jon-Hermann Hegg (NOR)