Lima 2023: Stars ready for first World Championships in the Americas

Paralympic top guns are getting ready to compete at the World Shooting Para Sport Championships at the Las Palmas Air Base in Lima, Peru, which starts on Friday (22 September).

There will be 260 athletes from 54 countries lining up at the military airport's shooting range to battle it out in the ultimate test of accuracy, concentration and control.
 
A total of 31 medal events will be contested during the seven days of competition. Among the athletes with gold in their sights is four-time Paralympic champion Veronika Vadovicova of Slovakia.

Just a month ago, the 40-year-old topped the podium at the European Para Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and broke the world record in the R3 – mixed 10m air rifle prone SH1, which she had set at last year’s World Championships in Al Ain, in the United Arab Emirates. 

“A world record is something different. [It showed] I’m still in the top of the shooters, still around the top athletes. Having a good team around me is the secret to it,” said Vadovicova, who went straight back to training after the Euros to get ready for Lima.

"I'm going to give my best at the World Championships. I won't talk about medals, you have to shoot like you are at home. My main goal is to compare my performance against the world’s best shooters, so based on that we know how to continue training."

Other star athletes hoping to shine in Peru’s capital are China’s Zhang Cuiping, India’s Manish Narwal and Serbia’s Dragan Ristic, who all won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Defending champions

They will be alongside reigning world champions Tanguy de la Forest of France, Barbara Moskal of Poland, Gabriele Nanni of Italy and Iryna Shchetnik of Ukraine.

Moskal has been a dominant figure in vision impaired events since the discipline became part of the World Championships at Sydney 2019. She will be defending her back-to-back world titles in the VIS – mixed 10m rifle standing. The 28-year-old also won gold in the event in the European Para Championships last month.

“It’s always difficult, but going into a competition I put all my efforts into winning another gold. Every medal is a big achievement for me. It’s just the love for shooting that helps me,” said the Polish athlete.

It is the ninth edition of the Championships, and the first to take place in the Americas. It will be the third major international shooting Para sport event held in Peru following the Lima 2021 World Cup and the 2019 Parapan American Games.

India has sent the biggest delegation with 18 athletes, followed by the South Korea with 15 and the USA’s 14.

Arguably, the biggest cheers will go to the three athletes representing the host nation at the shooting ranges Las Palmas Air Base, which is home to the Peruvian Air Force. They include Jorge Arcela, who won a silver medal at the same venue in the R3 – mixed 10m air rifle prone SH1 at the Lima Parapan American Games in 2019. The 35-year-old Peruvian will hope to upgrade to gold this time in front of a home crowd.

As well as medals, athletes are competing to take home qualification slots for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Fifty-four countries from four regions are vying for the coveted quota slots, with New Zealand being one of them. 

New Zealand is led by five-time Paralympian Michael Johnson. The “Wonder from Down Under” wants to secure a place on his nation’s team for the sixth time at the Paralympic Games in the French capital next year.

How to watch!

Johnson won gold at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens in the R4-mixed 10m air rifle standing SH2, and bronze at both 2008 Beijing and 2012 London. The 49-year-old also topped the podium twice at the Worlds in 2006 and 2010 and won silver and two bronze medals in subsequent Championships.

“The anticipation and excitement surrounding this event [2023 Lima] are palpable,” Johnson, who also coaches and recruits Para athletes, told Paralympics New Zealand. “The Championships are a gateway for the New Zealand Shooting Para Sport Team to etch our names in history.

“Competing in Lima, we have the chance to secure a coveted quota for Paris 2024. It’s not only a chance to represent New Zealand with pride; having the team reach this level is a testament to the inclusivity and empowerment of Para sport.”

The Kiwi is part of a three-strong team of athletes who have notched up 30 years of international competition experience between them. It also includes rifle veteran Greg Reid, with four World Championships under his belt since 2010, and Neelam O’Neill, with two since 2019 in air pistol and air rifle.

The Lima 2023 World Championships will be livestreamed on the World Shooting Para Sport website and Facebook page. Live results will be available here.

You can follow all the action and go behind the scenes on the World Para Shooting Sport social media channels on Instagram and Twitter.