Paris 2024: De La Forest finally wins first Paralympic gold at home
On Sunday, 1 September, French shooter Tanguy De La Forest finally achieved his long-awaited goal at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre, winning his first Paralympic gold medal.
After years of trying, De La Forest secured the top spot in the R5 – mixed 10m air rifle prone SH2 final. He scored 255.4 points, showing precision and determination throughout the competition. De La Forest, who first competed at the Athens 2004 Paralympics, had previously won silver in the same event earlier in the Games. This victory at his home Games made the gold even more special.
Brazilian shooter Alexandre Augusto Galgani finished second with 254.2 points, earning his first Paralympic medal. Despite matching De La Forest’s strong final series scores of 10.8 and 10.5, he fell just short of the gold.
“It is another beautiful day,” said De La Forest, who is also a three-time world champion. “Winning gold after a silver medal in Paris is amazing. It’s better than a dream and just perfect. The support from my family, friends, and all the French people helped me win. It was incredible.”
Japan also celebrated its first medal at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre when Mika Mizuta took bronze with a score of 232.1, marking her first Paralympic medal.
Legendary Slovakian shooter Veronika Vadovicova had a standout performance as well. She reclaimed the gold in the R3 – mixed 10m air rifle prone SH1 event with a new Games record score of 254.2. Vadovicova, a world record holder with six Paralympic medals and seven world championships, sealed her fifth Paralympic gold with a final shot of 10.5.
“This means so much to me,” Vadovicova said. “I trained all year, through winter and summer, and I am still training. I had great support from the Slovak Paralympic Committee, my coach, and my colleagues in the police. This medal is for them.”
Radoslav Malenovsky, who won silver, earned his first Paralympic medal. Juan Antonio Saavedra Reinaldo took bronze, marking his third Paralympic medal.
The shooting Para sport events continue on Monday, 2 September, with more exciting competitions and one medal event scheduled for the day.
