Lima 2023: Top six moments

The first World Shooting Para Sport Championships to be held in the Americas in Peru has ended in the way it began with music and celebration. 

The curtain came down on the historic event with dancing and traditional music at the closing ceremony held at the state-of-the-art Las Palmas Air Base shooting range on Thursday (28 September).

The festive atmosphere was echoed in the finals of every competition, which saw a rollcall of stars old and new battle it out in seven thrilling days of action.

From the 260 athletes from 54 countries who had travelled from across the globe to compete in Peru’s capital, 27 were crowned world champions. A further 33 qualified for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and three world records were broken with the home nation’s top shooter Jorge Arcela also claiming an Americas record.

The Championships put Lima on the world’s stage as the place where the best of the best in shooting left their mark. There were standout performances across all disciplines, from the gold medal haul and world records broken by rifle powerhouse Tanguy de la Forest to Italy’s Para trap athletes, who swept the board on day five.

Lucha Villar, president of the National Paralympic Association of Peru, expressed her gratitude at having witnessed an unforgettable week in her country.

“We have enjoyed all the medals achieved; we have experienced the joy of your delegations with you, and we show it in every dance with you,” she said of the teams.

“It has been a big challenge hosting the first World Shooting Para Sport Championships, which has been such a significant event for Peru. It brought international recognition to the country and showcased its ability to organise and host a major sporting event.”

Peru previously hosted the Lima 2019 Pan American Games and the Lima 2021 World Shooting Para Sport World Cup.

“Peru has demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting Para sports and inclusivity, making it an ideal host for an event that aims to raise awareness and support for shooting Para sport,” she added.

Here is a roundup of some of the top moments at Lima 2023.

Top of the range

Peru had to deliver something special as the first country in the Americas to host the World Championships, and it did not disappoint. The shooting range at Las Palmas Air Base, home to the nation’s air force, is a state-of-the art facility, which was previously used as the shooting venue at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.

It was well-equipped to cope with such a large influx of athletes and their coaches, who were competing across pistol and rifle in the 10m, 25m and 50m ranges as well as the outdoor shotgun range.

There were also the usual facilities needed at a large sporting event, from the stands with capacity for 1,000 people, to changing rooms and doping control. 

But above and beyond these important elements was the atmosphere created by the hosts during the competition, which was festive and fun, particularly when athletes won medals.

The music pumped out across the finals hall with supporters in the stands singing and dancing, as part of the celebrations. The Indian team, in particular, embraced the party mood when one of their athletes secured a place on the podium.

Rifle superstar shooter Tanguy de la Forest from France summed up his experience in Lima: “The Championships have been well organised, and I like the shooting range,” he said. “It also has a good ambiance with music played when we win. It’s been a good Championships.”

Medal haul

Tanguy de la Forest went back to France laden with four gold medals – two individual and two team – and a bronze.

The reigning world champion’s victory in the R9 – mixed 50m rifle prone SH2 on the final day bookended his win and world record set in the R4 – mixed 10m air rifle standing SH2 at the start of his campaign on the opening day.

Along the way, there were a further two team golds and world records broken in R4 and R9, and an individual bronze in R5 – mixed 10m air rifle prone SH2. The wins helped France leapfrog over South Korea and Italy on the leaderboard with a total of six gold medals; they each had four.

“It feels amazing to win for France, it is very important for me,” de la Forest said after the medal ceremony for the R9 event. The country had tied with South Korea and Italy on four before the French athlete’s outstanding performance with two golds on the last day. 

There were also new champions created. Israel’s Yuliya Chernoy could not contain her delight after winning her first World Championships gold medal in the R3 – mixed 10m air rifle prone. 

And birthday celebrations for China’s, Paralympic legend Cuiping Zhang, who said her gold in the R10 – mixed team 10m air rifle standing SH1 – on day two was the best “gift” she could have had. 

The host nation also celebrated when Peruvian star Jorge Arcela, a silver medallist at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, claimed an Americas record in the R1 – 10m air rifle when he scored 612.1 points.

Arcela, the flagbearer at the opening ceremony, said: “I am very happy to have the Championships in my country. It is very important for Latin America that we have these competitions here, as it is difficult for me and the rest of my team to fly to other countries like Europe or Asia, where a lot of them are held.”

Family affair

Spain’s Ager Solabarrieta Txakartegi’s ensured his wife’s years of unwavering support did not go unrecognised when he dedicated his second gold medal to her on day four.

The visually impaired athlete hugged his spouse, Maite Badiola, who works as his assistant, after he won the VIS – mixed 10m air rifle VI standing. 

The victory came days after he retained his world title in the VIP – mixed 10m air rifle prone SH-VI. “I think one of these gold medals is Maite’s,” said Txakartegi, who stood next to her on the podium. “Her support means everything to me, without her I couldn’t go to train, I couldn’t go to the ranges.”

Lima 2023 marked the third edition of the World Championships since vision impaired events became part of the competition programme at Sydney 2019.

Sweeping the board

Italy swept the board in Para trap winning all three final gold medals in an unforgettable day five which included another victory in air rifle.

There were back-to-back renditions of the Italian national anthem as the athletes took their turn at the top of the podium.

The gold medallists included David Fedigucci in the PT1 – mixed trap seated SG-S; Gabriele Nanni in the PT3 – mixed trap standing (upper limb) SG-U and Livia Cecagallina and Roberto Lazzaro in the R11 – mixed team 10m air rifle standing SH2.

The celebrations were topped off when two close friends in the team won gold and silver in the PT2 – mixed trap standing (lower limb) SG-L.

To cheers from the crowd, Fabrizio Cormons and Raffaele Talamo embraced just before the last five shots. Cormons, 48, who was competing in his first World Championships final, finished on 37 to Talamo’s 33.

“I won silver, but it was like winning gold being with my friend,” said Talamo.

Teenage talents

Lima 2023 was also an opportunity for a group of teenagers to showcase their skills. Among them was India’s teenage sensation, Rudransh Khandelwal, who won silver in the P4 – 10m air pistol standing mixed team SH1. 

The 16-year-old high school student is also ranked third in the world in the P1 - men’s 10m air pistol SH1. He finished fifth in this event in Peru, behind his teammate and gold medal winner Manish Narwal.

“He is my idol,” said Khandelwal, who only started competing internationally a year ago. “We are not rivals but friends and brothers.”

There were also personal bests for a trio of 19-year-old rifle and air rifle shooters. They included Norway’s Vegard Soerlie Krogsaether and his teammate Martin Soerlie-Rogne and Hungary’s Csaba Rescsik.

“I’ve enjoyed being here and setting a personal best,” said Krogsaether.

And finally, the happiest team

The gold medal for the happiest team should go to India, which had the most athletes (18) at the Championships. The talented group created a wonderful atmosphere wherever they went. Along with their coaches, they were always out in force to cheer each other on in finals and sang and danced to the music pumped into the arena when any of them won a medal.

There is a strong bond across the team, which is emerging as one of the powerhouses of the shooting world. The country finished fourth in the medal table.

Jai Prakash Nautiyal, chief coach of the Indian Shooting Para Sport team, said support for each has been key to their success. “It is something that we have developed. I had previously found that everybody was coming to the finals individually and then going, but I decided to change this. I told them that there is nothing individual about this; we are a team. 

“So, even if someone is behind in the finals, with these positive vibes, they might score a little bit better. We like to create a positive environment.” 

You can watch all the Lima 2023 finals again on the World Shooting Para Sport website.