Lima 2023: Surprise win and world record highlight opening day

China’s Yixin Zhong captured the R2 women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 and her first world title in a “surprise” victory on the opening day at the Lima 2023 World Shooting Para Sport Championships on Friday (22 September).

The 27-year-old rank outsider dethroned Veronika Vadovicova, Slovakia’s four-time Paralympic champion and reigning world champion, on her way to gold at the Las Palmas Air Base. A disappointed Vadovicova finished in eighth.

Ukraine’s Iryna Shchetnik was another favourite for the title. The 24-year-old reigning European Para champion had topped the leaderboard in the qualification round but could not convert that to gold in the final.

She finished just 0.5 behind Zhong on 247.5. It was her second World Championships silver medal in the event – she was also runner up to 40-year-old Vadovicova at last year’s edition in Al Ain, in the United Arab Emirates. Turkey’s Cagla Bas, the Al Ain 2019 WSPS World Cup winner, took the bronze on 225.9. 

A delighted Zhong could not disguise her delight after her victory. “I am so happy,” she beamed. Her previous highest place finish was sixth, which she achieved at the Changwon 2023 WSPS World Cup. “This is a really big surprise for me, as there were so many great athletes competing. 

“I was nervous going into the competition, but I overcame that. I have been working very hard in training and after my win I’m looking forward to the rest of the Championships.”

As well as medals to be won, athletes are also competing for quota slots for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games for their National Paralympic Committees (NPCs). Zhong’s victory meant that she had secured one of two slots available in Lima. Indonesia’s Hanik Puji Hastuti claimed the second.

Zhong’s victory was among the highlights of the five finals held on the opening day. There were also gold medals won by South Korea, Spain, the USA and France, and a world record set in the last shot of the competition.

Park picks gold

In Peru’s capital, known as the City of Kings, South Korea’s Jinho Park tapped into his “inner peace” on the way to being crowned R1 – men's air rifle standing SH1 champion. 

In a tense and thrilling final, Park, 46, had to hold his nerve against his compatriot Jangho Lee, the reigning world champion, who had led the whole of the competition, before slipping into third place in the final round after shooting an 8.8. 

Park finished in 248.8 followed by France’s shooting veteran, Didier Richard, on 248.6. The 58-year-old retained his silver medal from Al Ain 2022. Lee, who had been carrying a back injury, finished in 227.9.

The Korean athlete’s win also made history as the first individual gold medal of the inaugural World Shooting Para Sport Championships held in the Americas. The event, which is the biggest outside the Paralympic Games, has attracted 260 athletes from 54 countries. 

“I am very happy with my win,” said Park. “It was a very close competition. I focused on inner peace and one shot at a time as well as on direction rather than accuracy. I will now focus on my next event [at the Championships].” 

Park, a right-handed shooter, will also compete in Lima in the R3 – mixed air rifle prone SH1, R6 mixed 50m rifle prone SH1 and R7 – men’s 50m rifle 3 positions SH1.

There were two Paralympic quota places available in the R1 competition. Park, Jangho Lee and Richard had previously secured slots, so the two places went to China’s Ren Bo, who came fourth, and Denmark’s Jan Winther, in sixth.

Blasts for Spain, USA

Meanwhile, Spain’s Ager Solabarrieta Txakartegi said he had a “blast successfully defending his world title in the VIP Mixed 10m air rifle prone SH-VI.

The 51-year-old claimed the gold with a score of 243.1. His nearest rival, Croatia’s Fran Skracic, who had led for the first few rounds, finished on 238.6.

The victory was the visually impaired Spanish athlete’s second this year – he also topped the podium at the Osijek 2023 WSPS World Cup in July.

“After a long year working a lot, this title is a blast,” Txakartegi said. “This triumph is also for my wife, who is the person supporting me all the time.

“We started working on January 6. Six days a week until now, so I think after the standing final I will take three weeks to party.”

It was the battle of the Polish athletes for the bronze medal, which was won by Katarzyna Orzechowska, 29, who finished second behind Solabarrieta Txakartegi in Al Ain.

She overcame a challenge from Barbara Moskal, 28, who won silvers in the event at the Rotterdam 2023 European Para Championships and the Hamar 2022 WSPS European 10m Championships. 

In the P3 – mixed 25m pistol SH1 – there was shootout between the USA and Ukraine for gold and silver medals. U.S. athlete Yan Xiao Gong won the battle. He finished on 26 points. Ukraine’s Oleksii Denysiuk, the runner-up in Al Ain last year, had to settle for silver again when he finished two points behind on 24.

Arguably one of the biggest cheers of the day went to India’s Nihal Singh, who took bronze on 21 points, which made up for a disappointing fourth place in the last edition. 

Many of his compatriots were in the arena to support him and his fellow teammates. India has the biggest team at the Championships with 18 athletes, followed by the South Korea with 15 and USA 14.

It was a double celebration for Singh as he had earlier won gold with his compatriots Amir Bhat and Jakhar Rahul in the team P3 – mixed 25m pistol SH1. 

“It is really cool to win two medals,” said Singh. “At the last World Championships, I came fourth, so to win a gold and a bronze medal in the same day is amazing. My family in India will be so happy.”

Korea’s Jungnam Kim, Chul Park and Jeongdu Jo took silver and third was USA, with Gong picking up his second medal in just a few hours. His teammates included Marco de la Rosa and Michael Tagliapietra. 

And a world record

The curtain came down on the opening day with a “beautiful” win and a world record set by France’s Tanguy de la Forest in the R4 – mixed 10m air rifle standing SH2. The defending world champion broke it in the final shot to finish in 254.8.

The 45-year-old had been the favourite going into the final after beating a quality field of 41 athletes in the qualification round. 

“It was a very beautiful win for me,” said the delighted French athlete. “It was a very difficult final as Lee was so close, but I believed in my shooting.”

De la Forest, who also claimed gold at the 2023 Changwon World Cup in May, performed consistently well in the final. But in the last two rounds, he had to fight off a challenge from South Korea’s Myungho Lee after they both landed on the same score of 233.5.

He just pipped Lee by the smallest of margins to win the first round 244.1 to 244.0 before he set a world record score of 254.8 in the final shot of the competition. Lee was close behind on 254.2.

Slovenia’s Francek Tirsek, 45, who won gold at the Rotterdam 2023 European Para Championships in August, took bronze. The result was an upgrade on his fourth-place last year. 

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.