Duestad’s Masterclass and Lindgren’s Late Drama

3 jan, 19:45

Men day 1: Erik Sahlin, Victor Lindgren och Marcus Madsen - 3 x Sweden

The first day of rifle finals delivered top-class drama. On the women’s side, Jeanette Hegg Duestad put on a commanding performance, while the men’s final offered a thrilling sprint from Madsen and a nerve-racking decimal battle between Sahlin and Lindgren.

Jeanette Hegg Duestad Dominates the Women’s Final

Jeanette Hegg Duestad once again showed why she was named Women’s Rifle Shooter of the Year 2025. She set the tone already in qualification, posting an outstanding 635.2 points, giving her a commanding 4.1-point margin over second place. The cut-off score for the final stood at 626.1.

In the final, Duestad immediately took control, leading with 53.0 points after five shots and 106.1 after ten. Closest challenger at that stage was Amanda Karlsson, the only Swedish shooter in the women’s final.

As the final progressed, Mari B. Lövseth briefly challenged Karlsson for second place, but the shooter from Gullabo reclaimed the position. At the same time, Duestad steadily extended her lead.

In the end, Jeanette Hegg Duestad summed up to 254.2 points, ahead of Amanda Karlsson on 251.9, earning a small measure of revenge after the mixed event the day before. Mari B. Lövseth claimed third place.

Victor Lindgren Decides It with the Final Shot

In the men’s competition, Victor Lindgren of Sjöbo showed excellent form by winning qualification with 634.0 points, holding a 1.3-point advantage over second place. The qualification limit for the final was 626.5 points.

Henrik Larsen took the early lead after five shots with 53.2, before Erik Sahlin (Gothenburg) moved into first place with 105.7 points after ten shots. Close behind was Lindgren, who took over the lead after twelve shots.

The biggest drama unfolded after shot twelve, when Marcus Madsen fired a 10.9, moving past three Norwegian shooters and forcing a shoot-off. In that duel, Jon-Hermann Hegg was eliminated in eighth place. Madsen went on to produce an impressive final, sprinting from eighth position to secure the bronze medal.

The gold-medal fight came down to a head-to-head battle between Victor Lindgren and Erik Sahlin. With two shots remaining, Sahlin held a 0.6-point lead, but Lindgren equalised with a superb 10.9 in shot 23.

Everything was decided in the final shot. Lindgren sealed the victory with a 10.5, edging Sahlin’s 10.3 to win 252.7 to 252.5 in one of the tightest finals of the competition.

Razor-Thin Margins in the Men’s Junior Final

The men’s junior final featured two Swedish shooters, and it was those two who ultimately battled it out for gold. In the end, Anton Salomonsson of Össjö claimed the victory with a total of 248.9 points, edging Markus Knuts from Gefle by the narrowest possible margin – just 0.1 points after 24 final shots.

Noel Nissinen of Finland secured the bronze medal.

Double Norwegian Podium in the Women’s Junior Final

The women’s junior final was dominated by Pernille Nor-Woll, while the two Swedish finalists had to settle for fifth and sixth place. Evelina Neumann (Sjöbo) exited the final in sixth place, followed by Fanny Sörensson (Söraby).

The gold-medal showdown came down to an all-Norwegian duel between Pernille Nor-Woll (Kisen) and Synnöve Berg (NTG Kongsvinger). Linda Koskilainen (Simpleleen Hahlo, Finland) came in an honorable third place Pernille controlled the final from start to finish and eventually summed up to 252.7 points, ahead of Synnöve Berg on 251.1.

Finnish Triumphs in Running Target

In the men’s running target event, Jesper Nyberg of Hylte won his semifinal against Pontus Thuresson by 6–2, while Emil Martinsson (Osby) was narrowly defeated 7–9 by Finland’s Henri Karlsson in the other semifinal.

In the final, it was a Finnish victory as Karlsson claimed gold with a 6–2 win. Martinsson secured the bronze medal by defeating Thuresson 6–3.

In the women’s semifinals, Ida Heikkilä (Finland) defeated Ida Osmundsen (Norway) 6–1, while Heili Lepp (Estonia) prevailed 6–4 over Jenni Seikkula (Finland) in the other semifinal.

In the final Heikkilä took the title with a 6–2 victory over Lepp, while the bronze medal went to Ida Osmundsen, who claimed a 6–2 win over Jenni Seikkula.

Veterans and SH2 Finals Bring the Day to a Close

For the very first time in the history of the competition, finals for Veterans and SH2 were added to the programme – and it was these two finals that brought the day’s events to a close.

The veterans’ final developed into a tight and thrilling contest. Martin Sahlbring of Uddevalla held the lead deep into the final, but an unfortunate 8.8 in the 23rd shot dashed his hopes of victory. That opened the door for newly crowned veteran Karl “Kalle” Olsson, who surged ahead and claimed the win. Olsson finished on 242.2 points, just ahead of Sahlbring on 241.0, with Ann-Christin Johansson of Anderstorp taking third place.

The SH2 final was equally close, with the outcome decided by the narrowest of margins. Finland’s Niina Seppälä secured the gold with 252.5 points, edging past Ellinor Vaughn Axelsson on 252.3. Bronze went to Marcus Perkiömäki of Umeå.

Interview with winners from day 1 on our Swedish Cup facebook.