Guy Starek
(1965 - )
Guy Starek was born on May 3, 1965, in Jerusalem.
Starek, whose father was also a marksman, started shooting at the age
of 12 and says it was a natural choice for him “since there were
always weapons in the house.” He started out with Hapoel Jerusalem
and now shoots for Hapoel Ma'abarot.
He made his international debut in 1984, and only four
years later set a world record in the men's 50-meter free rifle prone
competition. Starek placed seventh in the 50-meter free rifle prone
event at the 1995 World Championships and fourth at the 1998 World Championships.
He also won the 50-meter free rifle at the 1997 World Cup in Milan.
At the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, he participated
in the 50-meter free rifle three position event and finished 17th in
the preliminaries with 1,164 points (only the top eight advanced to
the finals). Starek also competed in the 50-meter free rifle prone event
and finished tied for 26th place with 593 points.
At the 2000 Sydney Games, Starek competed in two shooting
events. He finished in 25th place in the 50-meter rifle prone event
with 592 points, and placed 32nd in the 50-meter rifle three position
competition with 1,154 points.
Guy was in fine mettle in the 2002 World Cup in Atlanta,
when he came in fourth narrowly missing out on the bronze. He continued
his good form on the World Cup circuit in his second place finish at
Shanghai in the free rifle event. In the 2003 World Cup he put on one
of the best shooting displays of the year in the free rifle prone event
with 598 points and an Israeli record in his overall performance. Starek
enjoyed his best European Championships performance in 2003 as he finished
fifth in the 50-meter rifle prone event. In 2004 the sharp-shooting
Israeli won the World Cup meet in Athens with 599 points out of a possible
600 for a new Israeli record. Starek was ranked No. 1 in the 50-meter
rifle prone event after that success and was ranked 2nd in the world
(as of August 8, 2004).
Starek was considered one of Israel's best bets for
a gold medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics. His high ranking and vast
experience count for much in a sport where familiarity is king. Guy
was hoping for winds in Athens since he is considered an expert in adjusting
for wind factor. He competed in the 50-meter rifle prone event in Athens.
He scored 99, 98, 98, 99, 99, 99 for a total of 592 in the qualification
round. Guy finished 16th overall and failed to qualify for the final.
Sources: Jews In
Sports |