Marcus Madsen Takes Gold in the Grand Finale

Men day 3: Henrik Larsen, Marcus Madsen, Jack Rossiter

After two days with Victor Lindgren at the top of the men’s air rifle competition at the Swedish Cup, it was time for a change. Instead, it was his Olympic teammate from Paris 2024, Marcus Madsen of the home club Aleholm, who claimed the gold in the final showdown.

Victor Lindgren once again topped the qualification round with a score of 634.8, while Madsen advanced to the final in sixth place. To reach the men’s final – featuring four Swedish and four Norwegian shooters – a score of 624.9 was required.

Once in the final, Madsen wasted no time taking control. He opened strongly with 53.1 after five shots and 106.1 after ten, and continued with steady, composed shooting throughout the shot-by-shot phase. His consistency paid off with a winning score of 253.7, ahead of Henrik Larsen of Krapfoss, Norway, on 252.2. Bronze went to Jack Rossiter of Australia, competing for Norway’s Kisen club.

Markus Knuts Runner-Up in the Men’s Junior Final

In the parallel men’s junior final, Anton Salomonsson of Össjö was unable to repeat his recent winning streak and finished just outside the podium in fourth place.

That left Markus Knuts of Gefle battling two Norwegian shooters for the medals. Even Olai Enger Throndsen of Krapfoss ultimately took bronze, while the fight for gold went down to the final shots between Knuts and Sander Vampli Hovland.

With two shots remaining, Markus trailed by just 0.1 points. A 10.6 versus 10.1 briefly extended the gap to 0.6, and despite Markus firing a strong final 10.0 against Sander’s 10.1, the final margin stood at 0.7 points. Hovland secured gold with 248.2, ahead of Knuts on 247.5.

Duestad Delivers Another Masterclass

Jeanette Hegg Duestad once again demonstrated her class by winning the women’s qualification with an impressive 636.1, well clear of Amanda Karlsson (630.2) and Mari Lövseth (630.0). A score of 627.0 was needed to reach the women’s final.

In the women’s junior qualification, Norwegian duo Pernille Nor-Woll and Synnöve Berg topped the standings with scores of 634.2 and 631.6 respectively, while 623.4 was required to advance to the final.

The women’s final saw Amanda Karlsson of Gullabo start strongest after both five and ten shots. As the final progressed into the shot-by-shot phase, Mari Bårdseng Lövseth took the lead. However, the decisive moment came in the very last shot. Duestad sealed victory with a brilliant 10.9 against Lövseth’s 9.7, securing the gold with 252.2 points to 251.6. Bronze went to Amanda Karlsson.

Dramatic Shoot-Off in the Women’s Junior Final

The women’s junior final was exceptionally tight, with four different Norwegian shooters holding the lead at various stages. The contest ultimately ended in a shoot-off, where Sanna Prestkvern emerged victorious in an all-Kisen duel against Pernille Nor-Woll after both finished on 248.9. Synnöve Berg of NTG Kongsvinger claimed the bronze.

With that final burst of drama, the Swedish Cup 2026 comes to a close. We warmly thank all athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, and supporters, and look forward to welcoming everyone back 2–5 January 2027, as we take the next step in our long-term three-stage rocket development of the Swedish Cup.