Only 0.1 separated Hegg Duestad and Hegg from competing for the bronze in the French capital. German duo Anna Janssen and Maximilian Ulbrich snuck ahead.
– I had two shots that went a bit off today. If one of those hadn’t gone so poorly, it would have been enough. It’s so little that you almost can’t believe it, Hegg told NRK after the qualifying round.
However, in the bronze match, Janssen and Ulbrich had to see themselves beaten by Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev from Kazakhstan.
In the qualifying round, each participant shot 30 shots each, totaling 60 shots. The two duos with the highest scores advanced to the final, while the next two faced off for the bronze.
In the two medal matches, the first team to reach 16 points wins.
– We need to have the margins on our side, but the Norwegians are right in the mix for a medal. This will be incredibly exciting, said Eurosport expert Ole-Kristian Bryhn, who recently took home the royal title at the National Shooting Championship.
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– Boring
Jeanette Hegg Duestad and Jon-Hermann Hegg took EM gold last year. The duo was in 11th place after both had completed their first ten shots. As the qualifying round progressed, both Hegg Duestad and Hegg shot steadily at a high level, with the duo climbing to 6th place about halfway through.
With ten shots left, the Norwegian first team was all the way up to 5th place. That turned out to be the final result, just 0.1 points behind Germany in 4th place.
– The margins are so small, said NRK expert Ola Lunde.
Jeanette Hegg Duestad admits that it was frustrating to lose by such narrow margins, but is still satisfied with the performance.
– It is a bit boring. We are so close. When it is only 0.1 points apart, it’s not about who is best, but rather about luck, Hegg Duestad told Eurosport.
The Norwegian second team, consisting of Synnøve Berg and Ole Martin Halvorsen, ended up in 21st place.
– Not the first time
Hegg Duestad was in action in Tokyo three years ago. She finished fourth in the 10-meter air rifle event. The 25-year-old has accumulated several World and European Championship gold medals in her career.
– I have good opportunities to be in the fight all the way. I will be there when it matters most, said Hegg Duestad before Saturday’s qualifying round.
However, on Saturday she had to settle for a spot just outside the podium.
– It’s probably not the first time, we have felt this before. We know how small the margins are. Today it was their turn. We could surely have done a bit more on an even better day, but we do our best, she told NRK.
In Tokyo, Hegg was also close to a medal. He finished fourth in the rifle match.
(©NTB)