"VAN" (Sports Desk - 09.11.2025) :: Germany's Maximillian Dallinger shocked the favourites to become the world champion in the men's 10m air rifle, concluding a dramatic first day of competition at the 2025 ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol in Cairo, Egypt.
The world number 26 bettered two of the contenders for gold, Sweden's Viktor Lindgren and China's Sheng Lihao to stand top of the podium, as Lindgren lost the lead on the final two shots.
The Qualifiers
Victor Lindgren and AIN athlete Ilia Marsov were comfortably through to the final after finishing first and second, closely joined by the Chinese trio of Wang Honghao and Olympic champion Sheng Lihao. There were also some surprises in the top eight as Japanese Naoki Hanakawa and Germany's Maximillian Dallinger made the cut along with the more regular Arjun Babuta from India.
In the bubble position was another upset as Hungary's Zalan Pekler defeated his teammate and one of the favourites for a medal, Istvan Peni, by 0.1. Other contenders who missed out included 2022 world champion Rudrankksh Patil of India, Olympic bronze medallist Milan Maricic from Croatia, Norway's world number four Jon-Hermann Hegg and world record holder Danilo Sollazzo of Italy.
For Wang, Hanakawa, Marsov, Babuta and Pekler, it was their first senior world final. For Pekler, this was a comeback moment after missing out in ninth place for the final in Baku two years ago. On that day, the man that beat him to the final in eighth was Lindgren, who went on to win the gold medal. Sheng, the Olympic champion, would get to meet Lindgren again in a rematch of their battle for gold at Paris 2024 last year.
The Final
Maximillian Dallinger was not only consistent in the first competition stage, but at times, brilliant.
The German's first two shots were 10.7 and 10.9 and added another 10.7 in his fourth shot. It meant he was level with Sheng after the first five shots. Conversely, Lindgren was at the back of the field after a blip with a 9.5 on his fifth shot.
Sheng would score a 9.5 of his own on shot six and Lindgren recovered well with a 10.9 and three 10.6s to conclude the first competition stage, bringing them level. However, the expected top two were not the top two at this point. Dallinger was consistent and it brought him the lead. None of those five were above 10.5, nor below 10.3. Naoki Hanakawa finished with two 10.7s to move into second.
While the journey to gold had just started, at the other end of the field, it was a battle for survival. Few athletes have had a better season than Ilia Marsov, who made the final in all three of his ISSF World Cup legs this year, including winning in Munich. However, it would not be his day. Going into the elimination shots, he trailed Arjun Babuta and Zalan Pekler by 0.3 and would score 10.1 and 10.3, which would not be enough to close the gap to Babuta.
The Indian would be next to go. His 9.7 and 10.7 in the first elimination series gave Pekler a chance to edge ahead by 0.1. A combined 20.4 in the next series would not be enough, with the Hungarian pushing further ahead and surviving another possible exit.
Top Four Trip Over Each Other in Fight for Gold
Meanwhile, the top half were separated from the rest and the high quality meant that an error would not go unnoticed. Hanakawa took the lead after the first elimination shots, followed by Lindgren after the pair scored well, while Dallinger and Sheng each recorded a shot of 10.1.
Then Sheng shot an uncharacteristic double of 10.1 and 10.2, putting him a point behind Hanakawa, who himself scored lower than the other two challengers. Dallinger had his best double of the final, with a 10.6 and 10.9 and Lindgren scored 10.8 and 10.5.
In the third series, Dallinger struggled, dropping him to second just ahead of Hanakawa who had the best series, with a 10.7 and 10.5. Sheng narrowly closed the gap to the leader Lindgren, matching the Japanese score with eight shots to go.
In the bottom half, Pekler, who had a close contest with Wang Honghao too, would finally bow out in sixth. Usually 10.7 and 10.6 would be enough to overhaul a 0.1 lead, but the Chinese athlete scored 10.8 and 10.7.
Drama Unfolds as Dallinger Takes Over from Lindgren in Last Round
Cracks had started to show with four still in contention through the elimination series and suddenly Hanakawa was a distant fourth. He scored 10.3 and 9.6 - his only sub-10 shot throughout the final - but his worries were exacerbated when Sheng scored two 10.8s. The one-point gap had now flipped in favour of the Chinese by 0.7. So low was the score, the Japanese just survived elimination by 0.1, with Wang Honghao remaining fifth.
With a sizable gap to make up and Sheng with momentum, Hanakawa, the underdog of all four, would not reach the podium in what was a commendable performance. Sheng would score 10.5 and 10.7, bringing him back to having an outside chance of splitting the top two.
Lindgren scored consecutive series of 10.8 and 10.5 shots. While Dallinger matched him on the first of these, he would then score 10.8 and 10.1 in the next one. With four shots to go, Lindgren had a lead of 0.7 to Dallinger, who was ahead of Sheng by 0.5.
Sheng's great hopes of a comeback ended with a 9.7, consigning him to bronze. It would likely not be enough, as the German scored 10.4 and 10.7. With this, Dallinger had closed the gap to the Swedish leader, which now stood at 0.4.
Dallinger would finish well, with 10.6 and 10.2. However for Lindgren, it was two of his lowest scores of the final. First, a 10.2. Then, a 9.9. If he had matched Dallinger's 10.2, there would have been a shoot-off. Instead, Dallinger became the world champion with a total of 252.0 to Lindgren's 251.7. The champion had been defeated.
Quotes from the Athletes
Maximillian Dallinger said: "I was working very hard for the final and I expected to get into the top 10, but [getting to] the final was the first win for me and getting a medal is incredible.
"I had to hold the rifle very strong for the first few shots because the pulse has a large effect on my rifle, so I was very happy to put those first five shots into the high 10s. So this was the first step. My pulse got a little lower during the final and then increased a little. I did expect it to be a little higher during the final, so I'm lucky maybe, but I've put in a lot of work over the years and now...I have a medal and I am incredibly happy.
"It was really important. I know they are always on my back and they care about me and support me. The support in the team is very great and it's important for anyone who wants to win a medal. We have a great training group in Munich and it's kind of like a family, and I'm happy to be with my family here.
Viktor Lindgren said: "I'm very happy. I actually didn't see this coming when I arrived in Cairo. It was a lot of pressure, so this was a win for me.
"I didn't have anything in my mind, I was just very happy that I'd won a medal at these World Championships. This season has been very good. I had my first ISSF World Cup medal in air rifle in Lima and China, and with the World Championships silver, it's been amazing."
Responses
Leave your comment