Shooting sports | Finland’s new rifle expert even practices shooting while decorating cupcakes: “I think about it all the time”

Eszter Juhász didn’t get discouraged even though he finished last in his first shooting competition of his life.

Juhász had been playing curling for fifteen years, but for various reasons he wanted to try another sport.

He had been thinking about shooting for a long time, but the intention was not necessarily to change the sport completely. After all, Juhász had time to represent Finland in curling twice in the World Championships and four times in the European Championships.

Introduction or not, but a visit to my former homeland, Hungary, decided the change. In a curling match in Budapest, the president of the Hungarian Shooting Sports Association played on the opponent’s team, and Juhász started asking him about shooting.

Soon Juhász was already at the shooting range, where a well-known Hungarian shooting coach Istvan Péni showed how to shoot with an air rifle. Pén’s son is one of Hungary’s best rifle shooters.

In Finland, Juhász immediately went to shooting school and joined the Police Shooting Club. Before that, he wasn’t allowed to train alone when it came to handling a weapon.

In a competitive spirit as an athlete, Juhász of course also wanted to compete, but due to the corona pandemic, almost all small competitions had been cancelled.

In April 2022, he decided to go to Turku for the WC after hearing that “at least the Finnish championships will not be cancelled”.

In Turku, Juhász then finished last in the race. The result of 567 points was quite good, when only half a year had passed since the first shot.

“It was a really cool place. I didn’t sleep much the night before because I was nervous. I had no idea how to prepare for the competition. I was just looking at what others were doing. I was in a panic at the race venue. I just hoped I wouldn’t hit the neighbor’s board,” says 35-year-old Juhász as he tunes his gun in the Oulunkylä curling hall.

One of Finland’s best female shooters shot in the neighboring range Emmi Hyrkäs.

“There was an expectation that I would be last. Glad I went. It was a learning experience,” says Juhász.

Since then, the competition experience has accumulated and the results have improved. In December in Espoo, the result was already 608. At the beginning of January in Sweden, he shot his competition record of 614 points.

“I was satisfied with the Swedish race and I was able to improve, but I have to be even better.”

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“Some have a practice range at home, but they shoot with a laser gun there.”

In international competitions, at least 630 points or more are required to be in the top five. Finland’s record is 631.2 points. In competitions, a series of ten shots is fired six times from a distance of ten meters.

In training, Juhász has already broken the 620 point limit. The best training series of 623 points had only four points, the worst of which was 9.8. There were dozens of other hits. The best hit is 10.9 points.

“There will still be some, but also a lot of strong ones. The starting point is that you have to get the training results to the competition before you can step forward in the sport.”

Juhász only shoots standing, but the competitions also include lying down and the 3×20 shot position competition lying down, kneeling and standing.

Shooting from a standing position with an air rifle is an Olympic sport, while the standing competition is an Olympic sport only in miniature rifles.

As an athlete Juhász is in an ideal situation. He can tune the shooting range and display board into the curling hall’s locker room when it’s empty.

Owner of Oulunkylä and captain of the 2006 Olympic silver medalist team Markku Uusipaavalniemi has played curling with Juhász in the World Championships.

In the curling hall, Juhász guides groups, makes ice, cleans, answers e-mails and keeps the hall in order. There is still plenty of time for training – few shooters have a training range at their workplace.

“Some have a practice range at home, but they shoot with a laser gun there.”

Juhász uses real bullets in training. They fall off the board and into the container reserved for them. The computer will display the hit immediately. After practice, he vacuumed the locker room.

For exercises Juhász puts on a separate shooting outfit. The pants and jacket are stiff fabric that supports the shooter’s body and maintains the shooting position. The shoes are also specially made.

The suit costs around 1,500 euros. Juhász bought the five-year-old gun used for 2,500 euros. A new one would cost around 4,000 euros. The scope alone costs 400 euros. The stakes are not expensive, but they wear out.

He shoots at least 150 shots every day and about 3,000 shots a month. One box of 500 pieces lasts 3-4 days.

Juhász admits that he is a lust trainee.

“From August to February I shot 20,000 rounds. I don’t know how much other people train.”

Juhász pays for his hobby with his own work. He has no sponsors and no coach. Istvan Péni gives remote instructions from Hungary if necessary.

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“The curling association should not decide on any issues related to elite sports”

In Finland, Juhász has been helped Ari Mäkelä and Sami Airo, whose group coaching he attends on Mondays. At the beginning of my career, it was helpful Väinö Ylitalo From the Police Shooting Society.

“You should probably have a personal trainer. Even in curling, I trained a lot alone. Working out doesn’t feel lonely. I’m allowed to be in peace and I’m hooked on shooting.”

During the exercises, Juhász tries to relax his body and his index finger so that he does not jerk the trigger. The jerk turns the barrel and the hit is not clean.

In the same way, he practices shooting in his imagination while making ice in a curling hall or in his old job as a pastry chef, when he was still playing curling at the same time.

“While I was making cakes, I was thinking about how to do a direct release with a finger with the trigger. I think about it all the time. I’m quite nervous in the race, even though Istvan says the target doesn’t shoot back.”

In the future Juhász would still like to play curling as well, if the sport’s grueling organizational life can be fixed.

He stopped curling for the time being because the measure was full, so to speak. He was disappointed with the activities and promises of the Finnish Curling Federation.

“The curling association should not decide on any issues related to elite sports,” says Juhász.

Juhász says he lost trust in the union after a few incidents.

“For example, I read in a letter from the international sports federation that Finland will not send a team to the World Championships in Canada. Nothing was said about it to the players. Only certain and chosen ones found out, I didn’t. Other things have happened, and I can stand behind my words.”

The World Championships held in Canada are the second biggest and finest curling competitions after the Olympics, so the frustration is understandable.

In summer Juhász travels to Budapest again to train and meet his relatives. He was only two years old when Juhász’s family moved to Loimaa.

Juhász’s father is a music teacher and violinist. When many music schools were founded in Finland, there was a shortage of qualified teachers.

Similarly, a table tennis player Benedek “Pentti” Oláhin parents came to Finland at one time. Oláh’s father first worked as a music teacher in Kalajoki.

“Father had three options: Brazil, China and Finland. Father chose Finland because it was the shortest distance to Hungary. If dad had chosen Brazil, I would probably have become a soccer player. Now shooting is this thing. I want to represent Finland in prestigious competitions”, says the likeable and lively Juhász.