William Shaner is a Colorado-born sports shooter based in the United States of America. He is barely 24 years old but has achieved so much as a shooter. Shaner has even participated in both national and international competitions.
It is worth noting that in the 2020 Summer Olympics, William won the men’s 10-meter air rifle event. After that, he went on to win gold medals at the ISSF World Cup Croatia and ISSF Junior World Championship Lima.
William has also participated on team levels and won the 2021 NCAA Rifle Championship with the University of Kentucky in 2021.
Did You Know These Facts About William Shaner?
1. Known Details about His Family and Early Life
The American shooter was born on the 25th of April 2001 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. William’s parents are identified as Mr. George and Mrs. Victoria Shaner. He has a younger sister named Brianna.
William attended Colorado Springs High School, set of 2018. After high school, he went on to the University of Kentucky (class of 2022). Two reports vary as to what William Majored in the University. One report claims he majored in Mechanical Engineering while his school’s site states it is Economics.
2. He Developed the Passion for Shooting at a Young Age
Shaner’s interest in shooting started at a very early time in his life. He became fond of shooting and developed a passion for it as early as when he was 9 years old. At that age, he got into the Garfield County 4-H program in Rifle, Colorado.
As he got better, he began to shoot monthly at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center for preliminary tryout events. At the age of 11, William won his first Olympic Gold Medal. At 14, the young athlete had made it to the international circuit.
3. Brief Look At His Career
Working his way through being the 9-year old who broke into the Rifle shooting scene with a truckload of passion, he has grown to be a formidable force in sports. Shaner, at that tender age, won several titles at local and state levels before moving on to the try-outs of the Olympics.
After this, he began to qualify for major games and after his stint in 2015, he made it to part of the Junior National Team.
Upon joining the international race, he has gained so many titles. He has also played with the team at his university and went on to take them to a championship title.
4. He Made Headline News at The Tokyo Olympics
The 50m prone gold medalist got tongues wagging when he achieved one of his greatest feats at the Olympic Games. The Tokyo Summer Olympics was wowed by Williams Shaner’s display.
His performance was stellar and eventually won him the gold medal. He won Gold for the men’s 10-meter air rifle setting a new record in the Olympics with a 251.6 score.
Upon his win, the Gold medalist reacted as though he did not just achieve something huge. He was very comported and focused throughout the game. There was no show of excitement from him as he acted like it was a normal experience.
However, seeing how far he has come in a short period of time, it is understandable that the Colorado-born has gotten used to winning. He came top over Lihao Sheng and Haoran Yang both from China. They both got Silver and Bronze medals respectively.
5. William Shaner is the First American Male to Win a Gold Medal in the Sports
24 year old William Shaner is the youngest U.S Men’s Olympic Rifle Qualifier. He also holds the title of the all-time second youngest men’s 10-meter air rifle Olympic champion. However, his most notable title so far has to be being the first American Male to win a Gold medal in the sports.
He has been setting records from when he was 11 years old. Then, he won the Gold medal in the 50m prone. Barely 10 years later, William has set another record for himself and the United States of America.
6. Shaner’s Feat is Inspirational to A Lot of Youngins
Williams, the Olympic Gold medalist says his aim is to be a source of inspiration to younger ones. The Colorado native gives hope and encouragement to those from his hometown who look up to him.
He even has mentees who meet the serial gold medalist for practice and mentorship. They go down to the 4-H on weekends and work hard to be like their young mentor.
7. He is Dating a Grade 1 Teacher
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVOwziqgB9p/
Shaner has taken to his Instagram to flaunt a woman who goes by the name Lauren Greiwe. According to information gathered about her, she is a teacher who handles the First Grade class.
In addition to her job as a teacher, she is part of the University of Kentucky Sorority and Fraternity. On her Instagram bio is a link to the ukdeltazeta page of the alpha-theta chapter of her sorority.
From the pictures on both couples’ Instagram handles, it is obvious that they are in a relationship. They even used loved-up pictures of themselves as their profile images on both handles on Instagram.
8. William Shaner’s Height and Weight
The sports shooter is quite tall as he stands at a height of 6 feet and 2 inches (1.88m). He also has a bodyweight of 64kg which amounts to 140lbs.
9. Some of William Shaner’s Achievements and Ranking
William Shaner the American sports shooter has won quite a lot of titles and championships. In addition to those already mentioned, he has the following to his streaks of wins;
- Three World Cups in Munich 2016, Ft. Benning, USA 2018, and Rio de Janeiro 2019.
- 2018 World Championships where he won the bronze medal in the 50m prone
- 2019 World University Games in Italy
- 2021 ISSF World Cup Croatia where he finished with a Gold medal in the Air Rifle competition
- 2021 ISSF World Cup New Delhi where he won a Gold medal in the Men’s Air Rifle Team
His competition experiences have won him the following;
- Current US National Junior Olympics title since 2013
- Current US National Championships title since 2014
- Present Variety of European Matches title since 2016
- Junior World Championship Suhl, Germany in 2017
- Junior World Cup Suhl, Germany Gold medal for 50m prone in 2018
His Olympic feat as the Gold medalist in Men’s Air Rifle in 2020.
10. William Shaner Gives Due Credit to his Humble Beginnings
The Kentucky star attributes his achievements to his humble grass-root beginnings and also to his coaches who supported him. His successes as a renowned shooter cannot be spoken about without the mention of his coaches at the National Training Center Shooting Club as well as in USA Shooting and the University of Kentucky.
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