Miao Wanru wins dramatic women's 50m rifle 3 positions world title as China, Norway, USA, Korea book Olympic quotas

China's Miao Wanru clinched the women's 50m rifle three positions shooting world title in dramatic fashion in Cairo, Egypt, on Friday (21 October), coming from behind in the first-to-16 gold-medal match against Norway's Jenny Stene.

Miao and Stene, who secured Paris 2024 Olympic quota spots in the event for their respective countries, had topped the eight finalists after two series each of kneeling and prone shoots and four series of standing shoots.

Indeed, it was Stene who top-scored with 412.5 points to Miao's 411.4, and the Norwegian took an early lead in the final, opening up a six-point advantage twice – at 8–2 and 10–4.

But from there, Miao rallied, putting the Norwegian under pressure by taking time on her own shots while Stene was flustered into trying to stop Miao's run of points, unsuccessfully.

On the final shot, the pressure told as Stene only managed an 8.8 score, meaning Miao's own wayward attempt in the 9-point ring was still good enough to seal a 17–13 win.

Earlier, Stene's compatriot Jeanette Hegg Duestad – who was fourth in the Tokyo 2020 final – had led the way after the kneeling series, but dropped back on kneeling and standing before finally coming third to take the world bronze medal.

USA's Sagen Maddalena, who had been in the lead after two full series of kneeling, prone, and standing as well as after the third standing series, suffered a bad round in the fourth standing series and was eliminated in fourth, but still clinched an Olympic quota position.

As two Norwegians were in the top four, fifth-placed Lee Eunseo of South Korea also sealed a Paris 2024 quota for her country.