SG Glattbach and Freischütz Wathlingen win Air Pistol Team League

After a longer Corona-related break, the semi-finals and finals of the team competitions on www.pistolentraining.de could finally be ended in July 2021. In the first team league, SG Glattbach won the final against the Spanish team from Equipo Tiritos with 1140: 1029 rings. In the 2nd team league Freischütz Wathlingen won against the junior team from NSSV Talentnest Essel with 1113: 1062 rings. Third place went to the SG Ulrichshögl team in the 1st team league and the Königsbrunn fountain gunner in the 2nd league.

It was an attempt to make a form of team shooting sport possible during the corona pandemic, when the call to register for the air pistol team league was started in August 2020. After 8-12 teams were expected, at the end of the registration period 32 teams wanted to take part. This then resulted in two leagues with 16 teams each. With the participation of teams from Spain, France and Portugal, it even became an international team competition.

The team league started with two qualification shootings so that, based on these results, the leagues and groups could be put together appropriately in terms of performance. The best 16 teams came in the 1st league, the other teams in league 2. In the leagues, groups of four were then formed and within the groups, the teams had to determine the group winners in a direct duel. For the first and second in the group, it then went to the knockout competitions of the final rounds.

Due to the corona pandemic, the competition had to be interrupted in August 2020 as team sports were banned due to the risk of infection and shooting ranges were closed. In June 2021, however, the 8 teams remaining in the semi-finals decided to end the competition in a sporty way and to hold the last competitions. It was now more complicated for the teams from Ulrichshögl and Regensburg, because in their ranks with Silvia Steine and Monika Karsch there were sport shooters who took part in the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

In the gold final, however, other teams faced each other. With SG Glattbach, a team has reached the final in the 1st league, which has always scored the highest results in all previous seven competitions and, in addition to the three participants, also had very strong substitute shooters "on the bench". The Spanish team of Equipo Tiritos was able to improve in the course of the competition, especially when the internationally experienced marksman Rafael Sanchez strengthened the team. With a lead of only 11 rings, the Glattbach team was able to prevail. The sporting bronze final did not take place in the first division because, as mentioned, the Regensburg marksmen had problems getting a competition team together. Substitute shooter Gerhard Jaksch replaced Ulrichshögl in the team service and with a good season end result of 1098 rings, the team is rated third.

It was not quite as exciting, but just as motivated in the 2nd team division. Here the Freischütz Wathlingen used the opportunity in the course of the competition to fall back on the sport shooters from the 1st Bundesliga. Then no team in the 2nd division could keep up and the Lower Saxony air pistol junior base from Essel could not (yet) keep up at this high level. Thus the marksmen from Wathlingen managed a clear victory against the neighbors from Essel. Unfortunately, the bronze match in the 2nd team league could not be finished in a sporty way either, without an opponent, the well-shooters Königsbrunn won the bronze medal with a strong 1098 rings.

After the numerous positive responses to the team competitions, another season is planned and registration for this on www.pistolentraining.de is possible until mid-August.