A perfect score of 125 hits on targets at the 2020 Summer Olympics secured the gold medal for Slovak sport shooter Zuzana Rehák-Štefečeková. This performance set both an Olympic and a world record, marking the first time a shooter from Slovakia earned gold in the discipline. Her precision in the women's trap event solidified her standing in international shooting history.
Early Career and Junior Progression
Born in Nitra in 1984, the Slovak athlete began her competitive trajectory during her junior years. She recorded her initial major international results at the 1999 World Junior Championship, where she finished fifth. By 2002, her proficiency in the sport was evident, as she secured bronze medals at both the World and European Junior Championships. During this developmental phase, she also participated in double trap events, achieving seventh and sixth-place finishes at junior world championships in 1999 and 2001, respectively.
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Rehák-Štefečeková holds a unique position in Olympic history as the first woman to defend a medal in the trap competition. Her path began with a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where she entered as the world record holder after a 2006 performance in Qingyuan. She followed this with another silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. After sitting out the 2016 Games for maternity leave following the birth of her son, Nathan, she returned to claim gold in Tokyo at the 2020 Games.
World and European Championship Records
At the senior level, she demonstrated sustained capability across global competitions. Her first senior world medal was a bronze in 2003, followed by a world title in 2010. In 2018, she claimed individual gold at the World Championships by winning a shoot-off against Wang Xiaojing. Her record at the European Championships includes two gold, three silver, and three bronze medals in the individual trap, alongside multiple podium finishes in team and mixed-trap events.
Fast facts
- Born: 1984, Nitra, Slovakia
- Sport: Shooting
- 2020 Summer Olympics: Gold medal in women's trap
- 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics: Silver medals in women's trap
- 2010 World Championship: Gold medal
- 2018 World Championship: Individual and mixed trap gold
- Education: Missionary and charitable work, Bratislava
- Child: Nathan, born 2016
Questions readers ask
Did Zuzana Rehák-Štefečeková win medals in events other than trap?
Yes, she won a silver medal in the individual double trap at the 2018 European Championships and gold in the mixed double trap team event that same year.
Why did she miss the 2016 Summer Olympics?
Although she qualified for the Games, she did not participate because she was on maternity leave.
Achievements
- Competed at shooting at the 2008 Summer Olympics – women's trap, shooting at the 2012 Summer Olympics – women's trap and shooting at the 2020 Summer Olympics – mixed trap
- Discipline: shooting sports
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