SlovakSport shooterOlympianMedalist

Zuzana Rehák-Štefečeková

Zuzana Rehák-Štefečeková is a decorated Slovak trap shooter, an Olympic gold medalist (2020) and two-time silver medalist (2008, 2012), holding multiple world and Olympic records.

1. Early Life and Career

Zuzana Rehák-Štefečeková's journey in shooting began in her early life, leading to significant achievements in junior competitions before her rise to senior international success.

1.1. Birth and Background

Zuzana Rehák-Štefečeková was born on 15 January 1984, in Nitra, then part of Czechoslovakia. She represents Slovakia in international competitions and is affiliated with the SCP Bratislava club. She stands 5.4 ft (1.66 m) tall and weighs 165 lb (75 kg).

1.2. Junior Career

Rehák-Štefečeková showed early promise in her junior career, securing bronze medals at both the 2002 World Junior Championships and the 2002 European Junior Championships. She also achieved fourth place at the 2001 World Junior Championships and fifth place at the 1999 World Junior Championship. In addition to trap, she competed in double trap events as a junior, with her best results being a sixth-place finish at the 2001 World Junior Championships and a seventh-place finish at the 1999 World Junior Championship.

2. Major Competitions and Achievements

Zuzana Rehák-Štefečeková has consistently performed at the highest level in major international shooting events, accumulating an impressive collection of medals and setting numerous records.

2.1. Olympic Games

Rehák-Štefečeková has participated in multiple Summer Olympics, securing three medals and establishing herself as a dominant force in women's trap shooting.

2.1.1. 2008 Beijing Olympics

She entered the 2008 Summer Olympics as the holder of both the qualification (74 hits) and final (96 hits) world records, which she had set in 2006 at an ISSF World Cup event in Qingyuan, China. She won the qualification round at the Beijing Games but ultimately placed second in the final, earning a silver medal after missing two more targets than Satu Mäkelä-Nummela of Finland.

2.1.2. 2012 London Olympics

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, her world records were surpassed by Jessica Rossi of Italy, who missed only one target throughout the entire competition. Rehák-Štefečeková secured her second consecutive Olympic silver medal after a successful shoot-off against Delphine Réau of France and Alessandra Perilli of San Marino. With this achievement, she became the first sport shooter to successfully defend a medal in the women's trap competition at the Olympic Games.

2.1.3. 2016 Rio Olympics

Despite qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics, Zuzana Rehák-Štefečeková did not compete in the event due to maternity leave.

2.1.4. 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Rehák-Štefečeková competed in two events at the 2020 Summer Olympics: the individual women's trap and the mixed trap team event with Erik Varga. In the individual trap event, she won the qualification round, setting new world and Olympic records by hitting all 125 targets. She went on to win the gold medal in the finals, hitting 43 out of 50 targets, one more than silver medalist Kayle Browning. This victory marked Slovakia's first-ever gold medal in a shooting event. Her Olympic record of one gold and two silver medals makes her the most successful shooter in Olympic women's trap history, as no other Olympic champion has managed to win additional medals in this event.

In the mixed trap team event, she and Erik Varga placed third in the qualification round, with Rehák-Štefečeková hitting 75 out of 75 targets and Varga missing three. They advanced to the bronze medal match, where they matched the score of 42 targets with Madelynn Bernau and Brian Burrows from the United States, but ultimately lost in a subsequent shoot-off, finishing fourth.

2.2. World Championships

Rehák-Štefečeková has achieved significant success at the ISSF World Shooting Championships, securing multiple medals in individual and mixed team trap events. She won her first senior medal, a bronze, at the 2003 World Shotgun Championships. After placing 10th in 2006, 9th in 2007, and 6th in 2009, she claimed her first gold medal at the 2010 ISSF World Shooting Championships in Munich, hitting 72 targets in qualification and 19 in the final, defeating Liu Yingzi and Jessica Rossi. She added a silver medal at the 2011 World Shotgun Championships, where she was only surpassed by Liu Yingzi, and a bronze medal in 2017. Her most notable performance came at the 2018 ISSF World Shooting Championships in Changwon, where she won gold medals in both the individual event, defeating Wang Xiaojing in a final shoot-off, and the mixed trap team event with Erik Varga. She also earned a bronze medal at the 2022 World Shotgun Championships.

2.3. European Championships

Her extensive medal collection from the ISSF European Shooting Championships includes numerous individual and team medals across trap and double trap disciplines.
In individual trap, she has won two gold medals (2015, 2016), three silver medals (2008, 2010, 2013), and three bronze medals (2006, 2014, 2018). She also secured a silver medal in the individual double trap event at the 2018 European Shotgun Championships. In team events, her achievements include a gold medal in 2018 (mixed double trap with Hubert Andrzej Olejnik), silver medals in 2015 (women's trap team), 2018 (mixed trap with Erik Varga), 2023 (mixed trap team), and 2023 (trap team), and bronze medals in 2013 and 2017 (women's trap team).

2.4. European Games

At the inaugural 2015 European Games in Baku, Zuzana Rehák-Štefečeková, alongside Erik Varga, won a gold medal in the mixed trap event.

2.5. Other Competitions

Rehák-Štefečeková has also achieved success in other significant international events. She has won seven individual ISSF World Cup events, including two World Cup finals. At the 2007 Summer Universiade in Bangkok, she won a gold medal in trap and a bronze medal in double trap.

3. Records

Zuzana Rehák-Štefečeková holds significant records in trap shooting. In 2006, at an ISSF World Cup event in Qingyuan, she set world records for both qualification (74 hits) and the final (96 hits) in women's trap. These records stood until the 2012 Summer Olympics. At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, she set new world and Olympic records in the women's trap qualification round by hitting all 125 targets.

4. Personal Life

Beyond her athletic career, Zuzana Rehák-Štefečeková is known for her personal commitments and family life.

4.1. Family

In 2016, Rehák-Štefečeková gave birth to her son, Nathan. Her maternity leave led to her non-participation in the 2016 Summer Olympics.

4.2. Religious Beliefs

Zuzana Rehák-Štefečeková is a devoted Christian. She pursued studies in missionary and charitable work in Bratislava, reflecting her commitment to her faith and humanitarian efforts.

5. Awards and Recognition

Rehák-Štefečeková's outstanding career has been recognized with several prestigious awards and honors in Slovakia.

5.1. Sportsperson of the Year

In 2012, Zuzana Rehák-Štefečeková was honored as the Sportsperson of Slovakia. This recognition followed the achievements of Peter Hochschorner and Pavol Hochschorner and preceded Peter Sagan.

5.2. Olympic Flagbearer

At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Rehák-Štefečeková was given the honor of serving as a flagbearer for Slovakia during the opening ceremony, sharing the role with Matej Beňuš.