– I have stood like a crow, says Olympic shooter Jon-Hermann Hegg. But sometimes two centimeters is enough, and now a rule change may have made Hegg a medal candidate in the Paris Olympics. Before this Olympics, shooting with an air rifle was marked by pain. Jon-Hermann Hegg says that he has had a lot of pain in his neck because he had to bend unnaturally a lot when he shot, and therefore he himself thinks that he stood like a crow. – It went beyond the balance and it went beyond the vision. Because one has to see through the eyebrow instead of more upright, says Hegg and moves his head up and down to show. In addition, Hegg struggled with the fact that he was not able to train as much, precisely because of the pain his neck bending gave him. In many ways, he simply had a handicap compared to his competitors with shorter necks than himself. – If you’re 1.50 tall and don’t have a neck, that’s fine. Then you can just stand there with the bag, but if you have a long neck, you’re actually out of luck when it comes to shooting, says Hegg. – Easier for me But in 2022 there was a rule change that changed everything for Jon-Hermann Hegg. Because when we flipped the calendar from 2021 to 2022, the international shooting association had decided to change a rule that said something about how high the aim of an air rifle could be. Before 2022, the maximum height was six centimeters. From 1 January 2022, the maximum height of the aim was eight centimetres. And just check for yourself what effect it had on Jon-Hermann Hegg: Pay particular attention to Hegg’s neck and how bent forward he is in the picture before the rule change. – It is easier for me to be consistently good, I think. And it’s probably a combination of several things, says Hegg and rambles on: It hurts less. It is easier to stand in balance. Easier on the eyes. He gets to train better, because he didn’t have to take a break all the time because of pain. When Hegg took part in the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, with a maximum sight height of six centimeters, he was number 22. But right after the New Year in 2022, Hegg tightened four nuts on his sight and suddenly it started to come loose for the 194 centimeter tall the parish. FIRST WIN: During the World Cup in Cairo, Egypt in 2022, Hegg took his first win in the 10 meter air rifle together with Jeanette Hegg Duestad on a mixed team. It was Norway’s first victory in practice. Photo: Norges Skytterforbund In 2022, Norway won the mixed team 10 meter air rifle practice for the first time. Then with Hegg and his eight centimeter high aim on the team. In the Olympics the year before, Norway’s team was number 9. During a World Cup event in Rio de Janeiro in 2023, he took the first step onto the podium individually with the air rifle. Then he took 3rd place. In total, he has taken part in nine podium places in international events for air rifles after the rule change. Room for more EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS: In 2023, Jon-Hermann Hegg and Jeanette Hegg Duestad became European champions in the 10 meter air rifle, mixed team. Photo: Norges Skytterforbund / NTB – So a rule change in 2022 made you a bigger medal candidate in Paris? – That made it easier for me, yes. The higher and longer the neck, the more you benefit from it there. On Saturday 27 July, Norway’s team with Hegg and teammate Jeanette Hegg Duestad are among the biggest favorites when the Olympics’ first gold will be fought for in the 10 meter air rifle, mixed team. National team coach Espen Berg-Knutsen has no doubt that the rule change was very important for Hegg to now fight at the top in the biggest competitions. – He had a handicap compared to those who were denser and did not have such a long neck. Now it has come a long way to smooth things out so that he can have the same intentions as them. COACH: Espen Berg-Knutsen is the coach for the national shooting team. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB But even if two centimeters might be enough, a couple more could be even better. – Would it make sense to move it even further? – I think he would have appreciated a few more centimeters. It has gotten much better, but he actually has room for another couple of centimeters if the rules allowed it. Right-wing Jon-Hermann Hegg and the rest of the Norwegian team fight for Olympic gold on the radio channel news Sport on Saturday 27 July at 09:00. Hello! During the Summer Olympic Games in Paris, I mainly work with shooting. So if you have a tip on things I should look into, I’d be happy to accept it. I am also very open to both criticism and praise. All you have to do is stick to it in an electronic letter. Published 26/07/2024, at 18.37
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This change makes the Norwegian Olympic favorite – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
