SASCHA BACK - OUR GECO GENERALIST AND TOP ATHLETE - ACHIEVES AN IMPRESSIVE 5TH PLACE AT THE IPSC RIFLE WORLD SHOOT III IN FINLAND
The IPSC Rifle World Shoot III in Finland was an outstanding shooting event that thrilled both shooters and spectators. Sascha Back achieved a remarkable 5th place in the senior category of the Open Semi-Auto Division at this year's Rifle World Shoot. This world championship, which took place from 4 to 9 August 2024 at the huge Ruutikangas shooting range near Oulu, brought together the best long gun shooters in the world to measure their skills in challenging conditions. With an impressive area of around 96 hectares, it is one of the largest civilian shooting ranges in Europe.
The opening ceremony, which took place on Saturday afternoon in the centre of Oulu, marked the ceremonial start of the event. An impressive ceremony began with the marching in of the participating nations, led by their flag bearers. Local representatives gave speeches and the athletes and officials were warmly welcomed. The GECO brand, as the main sponsor of the event, contributed significantly to the success of this major event. With over 840 participants and 30 challenging stages, the event provided a real test for all shooters. Sascha Back's outstanding performance in a strong field of competitors is a further indication of his consistent top performance at international level. It is particularly worth emphasising that he used 55-grain GECO TARGET FMJ ammunition, which is perfectly suited to gas-operated loaders such as the AR15. With a shooting distance of up to 330 metres and the combination of a 1-8x main optic and a side red dot for short distances, Sascha was ideally equipped to meet the diverse challenges of the stages.
The competition days demanded everything from the shooters, with a strong focus on precision, especially with low hit factors. Only a few stages allowed for fast shooting sequences and the wind on the large outdoor ranges posed an additional challenge. The shooting positions varied from standing freehand to kneeling with a bipod to prone with a bipod, with changes of aim to the weak shoulder and shooting through windows also required. The targets ranged from IPSC paper targets in various sizes to steel poppers and distant targets with electronic scoring to save time.
The German senior team in the Standard Division was also convincing and achieved second place, which was the only medal for Germany. The team thus secured a special place in the medal table. Finland, as hosts, lived up to its role as favourites and won the majority of the medals. The USA, on the other hand, dominated with the most important victories in the Lady's Semi Auto Open, the Overall Semi Auto Open and the Team Overall Semi Auto Open.
All in all, it was a successful World Championship that will be fondly remembered by both the shooters and the spectators.
The GECO team is proud of this great result and congratulates Sascha Back on this success!
