Sport shooter Strempfl

Is beekeeper and falconer Strempfl THE gold medal hope?

Strempfl sets his sights on precious metal in Paris.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

At the air rifle, Martin Strempfl not only demonstrates poise, but also a cool head. In his private life, the world number one and father of four has rather unusual hobbies. Is this the mix that Olympic champions are made of?

There are a dozen beehives in his garden, falcons listen to his commands and he will be representing Austria at the Olympic Games in Paris in a few weeks' time. The current world rankings even list the East Styrian marksman (10m air rifle) as number one. Is Martin Strempfl, one of our greatest gold medal hopes, based in the tranquil Feistritz Valley?

Falconer Strempfl has his birds under control

(Bild: zVg Martin Strempfl)

"This is a huge success for me," admits Strempfl about his status as number one in the world. "But the performance density here is insanely high. And a good position in the world rankings doesn't give you a starting number advantage like in skiing, nor an easier tournament tree like in tennis."

Only the final counts
For marksmen, the only thing that counts is day X, when every shot has to be right. In Strempfl's case, this is July 29, when, after a hopefully successful qualification the day before, the medals will be at stake in the final. In Chateauroux, around two hours' drive from Paris, in front of up to 4,000 spectators.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

"We can train there for an hour and a half every day from July 20. That's a lot," says Strempfl, who has deliberately prepared internationally for his second Olympic participation. "At the end of last year, we trained with the Chinese team in Beijing, most recently we were in Switzerland and then in Munich training with the German national team."

Honey bees and falcons
"We also wanted to add a bit of variety," says the army athlete, who celebrates his 40th birthday on August 1. And for whom variety is not only important in training, but also at home with his four children.

Profile

• Sport: Sport shooting (10m air rifle)
  Born: August 1, 1984 in Graz
  Club: SV Feistritztal
• Greatest successes:
  European Championships: 2x silver (2022, 2023), 1x bronze (2024)
  World Cup: 1x gold, 1x silver, 1x bronze
  ISSF Grand Prix: 1x gold
  World ranking list: 1st place (current)
  Olympics: 13th place in Tokyo 2021 (individual)
  World Championships : 5th place in Baku 2023 (mixed team)
  National championship: 12x Austrian champion

"In the afternoons, I often try to do sensomotoric things, for example on the slackline. I also manage to do this together with my children," says Strempfl, who is also a passionate beekeeper and falconer. "Both have been part of my family for generations, I grew up with them and I really enjoy them. And to be honest: I simply love eating honey!" Is liquid gold the last secret ingredient for Parisian precious metal?