Sergey Richter

Richter was born on April 23, 1989, in Ukraine and immigrated to Israel in 1996.[1][2] His family had a sporting background: his mother practiced figure skating and his father wrestling.[2] As a child, he tried activities including football, swimming, and tennis before settling on shooting, which he described as the activity closest to him given his family background.[2]

Richter compared competitive shooting with military shooting by likening the difference to "taking a taxi driver and putting him in Formula 1." He added that military shooting is "rough and imprecise" and lacks the subtle technical demands of the sport.[2]

Richter built his international reputation quickly. He shared the junior world record in the 10-metre air rifle, won gold at the 2009 World Championships, and took silver at the 2011 World Cup.[4] Those results made him the first Israeli athlete to secure a guaranteed place at the London 2012 Olympics. His coach ahead of the Games was Guy Starik, himself a three-time Olympian.[4]

At London 2012, Richter's first Olympic Games, he scored 595 points out of a possible 600 in the 10-metre air rifle, finished ninth, and missed the final by one point.[5][6] He also competed in the 60-shot prone rifle event.[6] Reflecting afterward, he said that "the lack of experience showed," but added, "I think in Rio 2016 things will be easier."[5]

Richter qualified for Rio at the 2015 European Games in Baku, where he won bronze in the men's 10-metre air rifle with a final score of 185.5. The result secured the sole Olympic quota offered in the event and made him the seventh Israeli to earn a place at the Rio Games.[7] He later recalled that the pressure in Baku had been "unbearable" and that he needed several seconds to regain his composure after realizing he had qualified.[7] At Rio 2016, Richter placed 14th among 50 competitors with 623.8 points and did not advance to the next round.[8] The Games featured Israel's then-largest Olympic delegation, with 48 qualifying athletes competing in 16 events.[9]

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics were held in 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.[10] Richter finished 27th in the men's 10-metre air rifle and did not reach the final.[11] He described the result as "a very disappointing performance."[12]

Paris 2024 was Richter's fourth Olympic appearance.[1] Richter said his route to qualification was unusually complicated: Israel skipped a World Cup in Indonesia after the team was not permitted to compete with its flag and anthem, and it also skipped a World Cup in Egypt amid the security situation.[13] He learned during a competition in Munich that he had secured his Olympic place.[13] At the Paris Games, Richter finished 33rd in the men's air-rifle qualification and did not advance to the final.[14][15]

Alongside his Olympic campaigns, Richter achieved repeated success at the European level. He won the individual European Championship in the 10-metre air rifle in 2013 and individual gold at the 2019 European Games.[1] He also placed third at the 2020 European Championships.[2]

At the 2022 European Shooting Championship in Hamar, Norway — his sixth appearance at that competition — Richter partnered with Tal Engler in the 10-metre air-rifle mixed-team event.[3] The Israeli pair finished third in the preliminary round with a score of 629.6 before advancing through the semifinals. In the final, they defeated Serbia's Andrea Arsovic and Lazar Kovacevic 17–11 to claim gold.[3]

Richter has trained in Moscow for much of his career, beginning in 2012.[2] In a 2021 interview, he said he had an excellent training group there and that the professional conditions were the reason he remained, although he expected eventually to return to Israel.[2] A 2024 profile reported that he had moved permanently to Russia after meeting his wife, Natalia, a former volleyball player who became a coach. They have twin daughters.[13]

Ahead of the London Olympics, Richter raised NIS 54,000 from 148 donors through a crowdfunding campaign connected to his preparations.[16] Contributors could receive items or experiences including a signed postcard, a signed T-shirt, or an opportunity to watch him train.[16]

Richter's career is distinguished by both competitive longevity and international titles. Paris 2024 was his fourth consecutive Olympic appearance, following London, Rio, and Tokyo.[3][1] His record includes an individual European Championship in 2013, individual gold at the 2019 European Games, and a mixed-pairs European title in 2022.[1] Before his Olympic career, he also shared the junior world record in the 10-metre air rifle and won gold at the 2009 World Championships.[4] His closest approach to an Olympic final came in London, where he finished ninth and missed qualification by one point.[6]

Coverage differs in classifying some of Richter's European honours. ONE identifies his 2019 result as individual gold at the European Games and the 2022 Hamar victory as a mixed-pairs European Championship, while a 2024 Ynet interview describes him as a two-time European champion in 2013 and 2019.[1][13]

Richter's account of his Paris qualification also involved a politically sensitive dispute. He said Israel skipped the Indonesian World Cup after the team was not permitted to compete with its flag and anthem; he also said the team skipped an event in Egypt because of the security situation.[13]