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Shooting sport in transition: A portrait of Anna Janßen
IWA OutdoorClassics 2025 is just around the corner and will once again offer a number of highlights this year. The SHOOTING EXPERTS' Stage program has it all and this year focuses on shooting sports, among other topics. Anna Janßen, currently one of the most outstanding personalities in shooting sports, will also be a guest at IWA, where she will talk about the changing image of her sport. In conversation, she will shed light on how major events influence the public image of shooting sports and what role the industry plays in this. She will also share personal experiences and show how the image of shooting sports can be improved through targeted measures and positive reporting. We ask the world record holder 3 questions to get to know her better.
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Question 1: What originally got you into shooting and what fascinates you about it to this day?
Answer: I got into shooting in 2010 through my brother Simon - and ultimately through my family. That year, he became German champion in the school class and his coach then had the idea of introducing my twin sister Franka and me to the sport. Right from the start, it became clear that I had a certain talent - I was able to learn and implement the basic techniques quickly. However, it wasn't just the sporting development, but also the community that made this sport special for me from the very beginning. To this day, shooting fascinates me in many ways. In addition to the mental challenge, I find it incredibly exciting to see the body awareness I have developed through training and how well I have gotten to know myself as a result.
Question 2: What particular challenges have you overcome in your career and how have they shaped you?
Answer: Like everyone in competitive sport, I have experienced many highs and lows. Especially in my youth, I had to - and wanted to - give up a lot for sport. Of course, this wasn't always met with understanding, but that's not uncommon in such situations.
My most difficult year was probably 2023. The year before, I had celebrated my first individual successes as an adult and wanted to build on this seamlessly. But when the first quota places for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris were awarded, my view of the sport changed. Suddenly I was dogged and completely focused on success. Over time, the pressure became so great that I hardly had any motivation for training or competitions - everything inside was fighting against it. At the beginning of 2024, I pulled the ripcord and set myself a new, overriding goal for the Olympic season: to regain my joy and love for the sport. And indeed - I succeeded faster and better than I had expected. I was able to celebrate great successes again, but above all I enjoyed the sport again with full enthusiasm. This experience had a lasting impact on me and showed me how essential the joy of sport itself is - especially in competitive sport.
Anna Janßen at the competition: fully focused. Answer: I don't have a fixed ritual for preparing for a competition - I adapt it flexibly to my needs. Sometimes I withdraw, switch off my surroundings and listen to music, while on other days I consciously seek out conversations with others shortly before the competition. I decide from day to day what is good for me. However, mental visualization is an important part of my preparation. I imagine various competition situations in advance - both positive, challenging and negative - so that I am prepared for everything. I am convinced that the right environment also plays a decisive role and can have many positive influences. Physically, my preparation depends a lot on how I feel physically. I occasionally go out on my bike or to the gym the day before to activate my legs, while I prefer to keep my upper body relaxed. In general, good basic fitness is essential in order to be able to react in a controlled manner in stressful competition situations and to better compensate for physical strain.
Anna is an excellent example of how individual successes and personal stories can have a positive impact on the sport of shooting. Her experiences and successes help to improve the public image of shooting and get more people interested in the sport. The ISSF recognizes the importance of such personalities and focuses on innovations and measures to make the sport of shooting more attractive and accessible.
ISSF focuses on innovation and youth: positive feedback from the IOC boosts shooting sport
The ISSF is very excited about the future of shooting following the extremely positive feedback report from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). “We are thrilled with the findings of the report,” said Nicolas Davies, ISSF Media Manager. “The detailed data collected by the IOC, Publicis Sport & Entertainment and the Paris 2024 Olympic Organizing Committee across 14 areas provides valuable insight for each of the 32 International Federations whose sports were on the Olympic program last year.”
Of these 14 indicators, the ISSF achieved above-average results in eight of them. “We are particularly proud to be in the top third of all international federations in five of these indicators,” emphasized Davies. “This shows that our efforts to present the sport of shooting as entertaining, attractive to young people and globally appealing are bearing fruit.”
The ISSF is now looking at challenges at some events to improve the delivery of the Finals, particularly in terms of overall duration and developing shooting formats that are engaging and easy for fans to understand. “We are working on additional technological features for better sport presentation and spectator experience, such as target trajectories (SCATT),” explained Davies. “We are also working with the Olympic Broadcasting Services to highlight human stories during the competition.”
A particular focus will be on reaching the younger generation.
"We are developing new initiatives in the area of VR experiences in shooting sports and are aiming to be a major player in the new Olympic eSport Games. All of these efforts will get more people excited about our sport and encourage them to get involved themselves"
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