Slovenian shooter Franček Gorazd Tiršek won the gold medal in the R4 air rifle standing event at the Paralympic Games in Paris. For the most successful member of the Slovenian team in Paris, this is the fifth medal of his career at the Games, but the first gold.
Tiršek finished sixth in the pre-competition and secured his place in the top eight, which will secure his place in the medal fight.
He won by 0.2 laps. His 253.3 in the final is also a new Paralympic record, the previous one being 252.8 by Philip Jonsson of Tokyo.
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He has won three of the four Paralympic medals in his career, finishing second in London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo three years ago. Photo: Vid Ponikvar/Sportida
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He also has one bronze medal in air rifle prone R5 from Tokyo three years ago. Tirskov's medal is the 52nd at the Summer Games (15th gold) and one from the Winter Games. Photo: Vid Ponikvar/Sportida
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Thanks to Tiršek, Slovenian athletes now stand at 53 in the medal tally at the Games, both those when they were still competing in the former Commonwealth and those during the period of independence. Photo: Vid Ponikvar/Sportida
"I missed the gold, I was close many times. I was holding it, but luck was not on my side. I really fought for that gold medal. But I didn't bother about it. I knew I knew I was capable. Concentration and focus, which are my biggest returns, showed that I beat one of the best shooters in the world among Paralympians on his field," said Tiršek after winning the gold.
Standing air rifle is Tiršek's strongest discipline, where he has won three of his four career Paralympic medals, finishing second in London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo three years ago. He also has one bronze medal in air rifle prone R5 from Tokyo three years ago.
Date: 2. September 2024
Time to read: 2 min
