Eight facts about Swiss shooting sport in our sights: why it takes fitness to stand still, and where there’s still an animaltrophy to be seen.
Lightning fast
905 metres per second – or 3,258 kilo- metres per hour − is the muzzle velocity (the speed of the projectile as it leaves the barrel) of the Stgw 90 assault rifle.
Latest discipline: Target Sprint
Target Sprint is the latest discipline in shooting sport. It is a combination of fast air rifle shooting and a middle distance running competition over 400 metres.
Association matter: 200 years
The Swiss Shooting Sport Federa- tion (SSV) is the umbrella organi- zation for Swiss sports shooters. With around 130,000 members, it is the fifth largest sporting associ- ation in Switzerland. Founded in 1824, the SSV is celebrating its bi- centenary this year.
Preconception thrown to the wind
So much for not having to be fit to do shooting! If you want to compete at the top level, you need stamina and strength. To move as little as possi- ble – in other words, to hold still. Something you can only do if you’re fit, because your pulse is transferred directly to the sports equipment.
A man’s domain?
The Swiss national squad consists of 16 women and 9 men. There are currently 22 women and 10 men training in the junior squad at the regional performance centers.
A hairy affair: live animal awarded as a prize
In 1937, the Swiss marksmen returned from the World Cham- pionships in Finland with a live animal awarded as a prize for taking first place in the army ri- fle competition: a bear cub. He was given the name AMEKO, made up of the first letters of the winners’ names, and lived at Zurich Zoo until 1942. His hide is still on display in the Swiss Shooting Museum in Bern.
First female Swiss Olympic champion
At the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Nina Christen took a gold and bronze medal (air rifle and rifle three positions). A historic victory: her win made the then 27-year-old from Nidwalden the first female Swiss Olympic champion in shooting. Before that, Switzerland’s last Olympic victory was claimed by Emil Grünig in 1948.
Pinpoint accuracy
The diameter of the 10 on the target in air rifle shooting over 10 metres (Olympic discipline) is just 0.5 millimetres.
