Adam Saathoff

Last updated
Adam Saathoff
Personal information
Full nameAdam Christophe Saathoff
NationalityFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Born (1975-05-25) 25 May 1975 (age 49)
Sierra Vista, Arizona, United
States
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight79 kg (174 lb)
Sport
Sport Shooting
Event(s)10 m running target (10RT)
50 m running target (50RT)
Coached bySergey Luzov [1]
Medal record
Men's shooting
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
World Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1998 Barcelona 10RT
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2002 Lahti 10RT

Adam Christophe Saathoff (born May 25, 1975 in Sierra Vista, Arizona) is an American sport shooter. [2] He has competed for Team USA in running target shooting at three Olympics (1996 to 2004), and has been close to an Olympic final in 2004 (finishing in eighth place). Outside his Olympic career, Saathoff has won a total of five medals in a major international competition, spanning the ISSF World Cup series and the World Championships. [1] A resident athlete of the United States Olympic Training Center, Saathoff trains under Belarusian-born coach Sergey Luzov for the America's national running target team. [3]

Contents

Career

Saathoff started out his shooting career as a successful junior in 1992 (aged 14), when he had won a small-bore silhouette match title at the Arizona State Championships, and eventually set numerous course records at every shooting range in Arizona. Two years later, Saathoff was invited to attend a shooters' clinic at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he instilled in shooting Olympic-style running targets with an air rifle. On that same year, he honed his running target skills to the international scene by gaining the World Cup title at Fort Benning, Georgia, and coming close to the podium in fourth place at the World Championships in Milan, Italy. [4]

Saathoff made his U.S. Olympic debut at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta by finishing first among his fellow marksmen and tied for fifth overall at a test event through the World Cup series, earning the lone Olympic berth for the host nation in running target shooting. [5] A newcomer to the Olympic scene, Saathoff could not mount enough pressure to beat against the world's best running target shooters in front of a partisan crowd, rounding off the 20-shooter field to a dead last at 555 points. [3] [6]

Under the tutelage of Belarusian-born coach Sergey Luzov, Saathoff began training with him shortly after the Games to further improve his craft and mettle towards a major world-shooting competition. In 1998, Saathoff came from nowhere to stun the entire field of expert shooters in the 10-metre running target, as he surprisingly won the silver medal with a score of 677.9, but could not chase China's Olympic bronze medalist Niu Zhiyuan for the title by just nine tenths of a point. [1] [7]

Heading back to his second Olympics in Sydney 2000, Saathoff continued to dominate at the national trials, and watched his fellow marksman Lance Dement earning the other berth to join with him on the U.S. shooting team. [8] At the Games, he shot a modest 570 to force in a three-way tie with Hungary's Jószef Ángyán and Germany's Michael Jakosits for twelfth in the qualifying round of the 10 m running target, an enormous upgrade from his 1996 Olympic feat by a fifteen-point margin. [9] [10]

The post-Sydney Olympics period signified a genuine test on Saathoff's marksmanship towards his goal of being one of the world's top running target shooters. In 2002, Saathoff claimed two bronze medals each in the 30+30 and mixed runs at the World Championships in Lahti, Finland. [11] [12] Nevertheless, Saathoff's top three finish had secured an Olympic berth for Team USA on his third upcoming Games, and thereby culminated in a selection as the Male Running Target Shooter of the Year by USA Shooting at the end of the season. [7]

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Saathoff qualified for his third and final U.S. Olympic team, as a 29-year-old, in the men's 10 m running target, after taking one of the top two berths to join with fellow shooter Koby Holland at the national trials. [13] Upon entering the Games as an Olympic medal prospect, Saathoff got off to a brilliant start at 294 points to tie for second with Jakosits in the slow-target portion. He scored a modest 281 in the fast-moving round, but fell haphazardly to eighth with a total score of 575, just four points away from the final cutoff. [14] [15]

With the running target being removed from the Games in an effort to streamline the Olympic program, Saathoff decided to retire from competitive shooting career to focus on his current stint as an EMT at the Sierra Vista Fire Department. Indeed, he has been one of the responders to the Monument Fire that severely hit thousands of homes across Sierra Vista and Hereford in July 2011. [16] [17]

Olympic results

Event199620002004
10 metre running target 20th
555		 12th
570		 8th
575

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Shooting Sport Federation</span> International shooting sports governing body

The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) is the governing body of the Olympic shooting events. It also regulates several non-Olympic shooting sport events. The Federation's activities include regulation of the sport, managing Olympic qualification events and quota places, as well as organization of international competitions such as the ISSF World Cup series and ISSF World Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanjeev Rajput</span> Indian sport shooter

Master Chief Petty Officer Sanjeev Rajput is an Arjuna Awardee Indian sport shooter from Yamuna Nagar, Haryana. He was a retired Junior Commissioned Officer in Indian Navy.

Nataliya Olehivna Kalnysh is a Ukrainian sport shooter.

Lesia Severynivna Leskiv is a Ukrainian sport shooter. She represented Ukraine in rifle shooting in the Olympic Games in 1996, 2000, and 2004, finishing within the top fifteen in the games. Leskiv also earned four medals at the World Championships, and five more, including three golds, at the European Championships, bringing them up to her remarkable career tally of nine. A full-fledged member of the Lvov Army Forces, Leskiv trained for the shooting club under her personal coach Vadym Vysochyn.

Vladislav Aleksandrovich Prianishnikov is a Ukrainian and Russian sport shooter, who specializes in the running target. He produced a remarkable career tally of twenty-two medals, including eight golds from the European Championships and two from the 2008 and 2009 World Championships respectively. Prianishnikov was also selected to compete for Ukraine at the 2004 Summer Olympics, where he finished seventh in running target shooting, before his event had been officially removed from the Olympic program. Being a multiple European champion and a two-time Worlds medalist, Prianishnikov has been inducted an Honored Master of Sport and Master of Sport of Ukraine of International Class in shooting for his outstanding achievements in running target.

Hendrikus "Hennie" Dompeling was a Dutch sport shooter. He was born in Haarlemmermeer. He has competed for the Netherlands in skeet shooting at five Olympics, and has been close to an Olympic medal in 2000. Outside the Olympic career, Dompeling has produced a phenomenal record of twenty-one medals in a major international competition: two bronze at the World Championships, a total of four at the ISSF World Cup final, a total of nine at numerous ISSF World Cup meets, and a total of six under both junior and senior category at the European Championships.

Susanne Maria Meyerhoff is a Danish sport shooter. She has competed for Denmark in pistol shooting at three Olympics, and has recorded a career tally of eighteen medals in a major international competition, a total of seven under both junior and senior categories at the European Championships, a total of ten at numerous meets of the ISSF World Cup series, and a silver as a junior at the 1994 ISSF World Championships in Milan, Italy.

Timothy Quentin Lowndes is an Australian sport shooter. He has competed for Australia in rifle shooting at two Olympics, and has been close to an Olympic final in 2004, finishing twelfth in the rifle three positions. Apart from his Olympic career, Lowndes has won a total of seven medals in a major international competition, spanning two editions of the Commonwealth Games, and the Oceanian Championships. Throughout his sporting career, Lowndes trains full-time under Yugoslav-born head coach and 1976 Olympian Miroslav Šipek of the national team, while he shoots at Townsville Smallbore Rifle Club on the outskirts of Melbourne.

Dick Boschman is a Dutch sport shooter. He has been selected to compete for the Netherlands in two editions of the Olympic Games, and has won a career tally of nine medals in a major international competition, spanning the ISSF World Cup series and the European Championships. Boschman trains full-time under trainer Heinz Reinkemeier (GER) for the national team, while practicing at Oostendorp Shooting Range in his hometown Elburg.

Éva Joó is a Hungarian sport shooter. She has competed for Hungary in rifle shooting at four Olympics, and has been close to an Olympic medal in 1996. Apart from her Olympic career, Joo has successfully produced a career tally of nineteen medals in a major international competition: a gold at the 1990 ISSF World Championships in Moscow, Soviet Union, a total of three at the ISSF World Cup final, a total of nine at various meets of the World Cup series, and a remainder of six under both junior and senior categories at the European Championships since her sporting debut in 1987.

Valérie Bellenoue is a French sport shooter. She has competed for France in rifle shooting at three Olympics, and has been close to an Olympic medal on her debut in 1996. Outside her Olympic career, Bellenoue has won a total of fourteen medals in a major international competition, spanning the World and European Championships and the ISSF World Cup series.

Hiromi Misaki is a Japanese sport shooter. She has been selected to compete for Japan in rifle shooting at two Olympics, and has attained a total of five medals in a major international competition, spanning the ISSF World Cup series. Misaki trains full-time for Hitachi Shooting Team under her longtime coach Yoko Miki.

Bryan Kenneth Wilson is an Australian sport shooter. He has competed for Australia in running target shooting at four Olympics, and has produced a phenomenal record of eleven medals in a major international competition: spanning the Commonwealth Games and the Oceanian Championships. Wilson is a full-fledged member of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia.

Attila Solti is a Hungarian-Guatemalan sport shooter. Before his change of domicile to Guatemala, Solti had an extensive competitive career for his native Hungary in shooting. He won a total of twenty-nine medals in a major international competition, including two golds in both 10 and 50 m running target at World Championships and had set two world records in just a single season.

Miroslav Januš is a Czech sport shooter. A four-time Olympian, Janus is one of Czech Republic's most successful individual shooters in Olympic history, having won a bronze medal in the 10 m running target at Atlanta 1996. Outside his Olympic career, Janus has produced a career record of 120 medals in a major international competition, including fourteen golds at the European Championships, and a total of ten in different color at the Worlds since his debut came as a junior in 1989.

Andrey Nikolayevich Vasiliev is a Belarusian sport shooter. He has competed for the former Soviet Union and Belarus in running target shooting at two Olympics, and has been close to an Olympic final in 1992. Outside his Olympic career, Vasiliev has won a total of seven medals in a major international competition, spanning the ISSF World Cup series, the European Championships and the World Championships. Currently residing in Brest, Belarus, Vasiliev trains under his longtime coach Gennadiy Sotskov for the shooting team at Dynamo.

Koby Holland is an American sport shooter. He has competed for Team USA in running target shooting at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and has won a bronze medal at the 2001 Championship of the Americas tournament in Fort Benning, Georgia. A resident athlete of the United States Olympic Training Center, Holland trains under Belarusian-born coach Sergey Luzov for the America's national running target team.

Tomáš Caknakis is a Czech sport shooter.

Lars Niklas Bergström is a Swedish sport shooter. He has been selected to compete for Sweden in running target shooting at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and has won a total of seventeen medals in a major international competition, spanning the ISSF World Cup series, the World Championships, and the European Championships. Bergstrom trains under head coach Claes Johansson for the national running target team, while shooting at Glaskogens JSK in Glava.

Teo Shun Xie is a Singaporean sport shooter. In 2014, Teo set a final meet record in the women's air pistol to claim her first gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "ISSF Profile – Adam Saathoff". ISSF . Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  2. ↑ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Adam Saathoff". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  3. 1 2 Husar, John (27 July 1996). "Chinese Stay On Target, Bag Two Golds, Silver In Shooting Events". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  4. ↑ Quimby, Bill (2 September 1994). "Right on target". Tucson Citizen . Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  5. ↑ Heath, Bryan (30 April 1996). "Shooter has goal in his sights". Tucson Citizen . Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  6. ↑ "Atlanta 1996: Shooting – Men's 10m Running Target" (PDF). Atlanta 1996 . LA84 Foundation. p. 122. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  7. 1 2 "USA Shooting announces 2002 Shooters of the Year". Civilian Marksmanship Program. 2002. Archived from the original on 10 May 2003. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  8. ↑ "Hereford shooter going to Sydney". Tucson Citizen. 28 July 2000. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  9. ↑ "Sydney 2000: Shooting – Men's 10m Running Target" (PDF). Sydney 2000 . LA84 Foundation. pp. 76–77. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  10. ↑ "Records fall in women's 25-meter pistol". ESPN. 22 September 2000. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  11. ↑ "Shooting 2004 Olympic Qualification" (PDF). Majority Sports. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  12. ↑ "America earns 2nd medal in shooting championships". The Orlando Sentinel. 8 July 2002. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  13. ↑ "Holland, Saathoff qualify for Athens in running target". USA Today. 30 May 2004. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  14. ↑ "Shooting: Men's 10m Running Target Prelims". Athens 2004 . BBC Sport. 15 August 2004. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  15. ↑ Rivera, Steve (19 August 2004). "Arizona shooter fades to seventh". Gannett News Service . Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  16. ↑ Nuñez, Steve (10 July 2011). "Sierra Vista Firefighter still emotional from not being able to save homes". KGUN-TV. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  17. ↑ "Sierra Vista's Adam Saathoff gave it his best shot in 3 Olympiads". Tucson Citizen. 18 June 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.