Top shooters of 2014

After a packed season which featured a World Championships, Asian Para Games and World Cups, find out who is topping the rankings and why. 27 Dec 2014
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Veronika Vadovicova 2014

Double European champion Veronika Vadovicova is on the hunt for her her first world title at the 2014 IPC Shooting World Championships in Suhl, Germany, from 18-26 July.

ⒸUSA Shooting
By IPC

The Swede exploded onto the international scene at Suhl 2014 with a double win in P3 (mixed 25m pistol SH1) and P5 (mixed 10m air pistol SH1) in only his second year of competitive shooting.

The 2014 IPC Shooting season was headlined by the most successful ever World Championships in Suhl, Germany, the 2014 Incheon Asia Para Games and various World Cups, as athletes began their road to Rio 2016.

Heading into the 2015 season which features three Paralympic qualifiers in France, the USA and Australia, here are the athletes that stormed to new world records and gold medals in 2014.

Joackim Norberg

The Swede exploded onto the international scene at Suhl 2014 with a double win in P3 (mixed 25m pistol SH1) and P5 (mixed 10m air pistol SH1) in only his second year of competitive shooting. The athlete nicknamed ‘hot shot’ also equalled the finals world record in P1 (men’s 10m air pistol SH1) at the IPC Shooting World Cup in Fort Benning, USA. He finishes 2014 on top of the P1, P3 and P4 (mixed 50m pistol SH1) world rankings.

Sareh Javanmardidodmani

Iran’s Javanmardidodmani bought her A-game to the 2014 season, starting with a gold at a World Cup in Szczecin, Poland, and following that up with her first world title in P2 (women’s 10m air pistol SH1). But the 30-year-old did not stop there, topping the podium in P2 and P4 (mixed 50m pistol SH1) at Incheon 2014, both with finals world records.

Jinho Park

After winning mixed R3 (mixed 10m air rifle prone SH1) gold at Suhl 2014 by equalling the finals world record, South Korean Park went onto win double gold at Incheon 2014. He also set a world record in qualification in R1 (men’s 10m air rifle standing SH1).

Veronika Vadovicova

The 2008 Paralympic champion started her comeback in 2013, sealing two European golds in rifle events. The Slovakian followed that up in 2014 with an R2 (women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1) world title and finals world record, completing the season as world No. 1.

Matt Skelhon

Great Britain’s premier shooter Skelhon’s year included his first world title at Suhl 2014 in R6 (mixed 50m rifle prone SH1), setting a new finals world record on his way to gold. A rival to Vadovicova in the mixed events, Skelhon fulfilled one of his lifetime ambitions by topping the podium at the Worlds. His other is to compete at Rio 2016.

Abdullah Sultan Alaryani

A protege of Sweden’s legendary Paralympic and world champion Jonas Jacobsson, Alaryani went head-to-head with his teacher throughout 2014.

He entered the R7 (men’s 50m rifle three positions SH1) final at Suhl 2014 after breaking the world record in qualification. Despite losing out to Jacobsson, he still finished as world No. 1 in the event also ahead of Park.

Jason Maroney

An owner of his very own shooting range on his farm in Wangaratta, Australia, Maroney’s self-styled training programme paid off in 2014.

He won two World Cup golds in Fort Benning in R4 (mixed 10m air rifle standing SH2), where he set a new world record during qualification, and in Stoke Mandeville, Great Britain.

The 2015 IPC Shooting season will feature six World Cups starting on 30 March in Stoke Mandeville.

The three Paralympic qualifiers will begin on 10 July in Volmerange, France.