Top SH2 shooters on their road to Rio

The Rio 2016 Paralympic Games are coming closer and with the conclusion of the World Cup season in May, shooters are now fully focused on training.

They have just over three months until they line up at the Olympic Shooting Centre from 8-14 September.

Here are a few of the key athletes who will compete in the SH2 classification:

Michael Johnson, New Zealand

Johnson has returned to some of his best form in the last 12 months, setting a new world record at the IPC Shooting World Cup in Poland in 2015.

His finals score of 212.6 in R4 (mixed 10m air rifle standing SH2) was the start of an excellent run for the 42-year-old. He went on to capture five podium finishes at World Cups, to show he still has the skills heading into his fourth Paralympic Games.

Vasyl Kovalchuk, Ukraine

After finishing off the podium in all but one non-Paralympic event at the 2014 World Championships, Kovalchuk appeared to have lost his edge.

However the R5 (mixed 10m air rifle prone SH2) Paralympic champion has consistently shot over 212.0 in 2016, edging closer to the world record in the same event. He even unofficially equalled it at a competition in Hannover, Germany, in May with a 213.0 score.

Dragan Ristic, Serbia

One of Kovalchuk’s greatest rivals, Ristic claimed the R5 European title in 2013. He also claimed silver at the Worlds.

The Serbian has come a long way since London 2012, where he did not qualify for the finals in either R4 or R5.

Minna Leinonen, Finland

Completing a trio of names to look out for, particularly in R5, is world champion Leinonen.

The Fin has already tasted success at the Paralympic Games, winning gold at Athens 2004. However the intervening years until her world title success in 2014 proved to be unfruitful.

Her current form is broadly unknown, as she chose to focus on training at home instead of travelling to competitions. She competed at three World Cups in 2015 and early 2016, achieving two top five finishes, including one podium.

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Sport fans from around the world can now buy their Paralympic tickets for Rio 2016 from authorised ticket resellers (ATRs)

The IPC’s Global ATR is Jet Set Sports, and Rio 2016 tickets and packages can be purchased on the CoSport website.

Residents of Brazil can buy 2016 Paralympics tickets directly from the Rio 2016 website.