SAARA is the OFFICIAL and ONLY National Controlling Body for Air Rifle shooting in South Africa as recognised by the South African Shooting Sport Confederation (SASSCo), the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA).
Welcome
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26. 10. 05
The 2026 SAARA National Championship took place in North West on 2 and 3 October 2026. We had a full programme with lots of entries, and we saw some excellent shooting with many personal best scores.
We sincerely thank the athletes and parents who supported the match. We also appreciate the local schools—Wesvalia Hoëskool, Laerskool La Hoff and Laerskool Saamtrek—for generously making their facilities available for both days. Finally, we thank the SAARA North West team and SAARA management team members for the time and effort they devoted to ensuring the event’s success.
The final events produced a good standard of shooting that brought the event to a close. Athletes showed accuracy, composure and consistency across the three closely contested rounds. The small margins between the leading scores resulted in ties that had to be broken, and the final standings was often only confirmed after the last shots. Spectators followed the finals with interest and showed their support for the athletes throughout the competition.
My apologies to the athletes who competed in the sporter finals. I was distracted and forgot to take photographs of the champions after the match, and my Photoshop skills do not fully reflect the significance of your achievements.
The 2026 National champions for the various disciplines are:
10M Sporter Men - from the left: - Charl Kotze - Gold, Leon Potgieter - Silver, Chailo Janse van Rensber - Bronz
10M Sporter Women - from the left: - Lihandri Fourie - Gold, Estie Meyer - Silver, Natalie de Beer - Bronz
10M Olympic Men - from the left: Gunter Jonker - Silver, Matthew Schutte - Gold, Divan van der Linde - Brons
10M Olympic Women - from the left: Jo-Ann Serfontein - Brons, Suné Boshoff - Gold, Anya Theart - Silver
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26. 02. 23
The 2026 SAARA NW Open, held on 20–21 February 2026, was a special trial event to select the Junior team that will represent South Africa at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Cairo from 19 April to 27 April 2026. The SAARA rifle team will join the larger South African contingent, which also includes pistol and shotgun athletes. We extend our best wishes and eagerly anticipate outstanding performances in Egypt.
From left to right: Charl Cilliers – Team manager, Matthew Schutte – Junior Protea, Anya Theart – Junior Protea, Runé Janse van Rensdurg – Development, Isabella Cilliers – Junior Protea.
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26. 02. 22
We extend our congratulations to Jo-Ann Serfontein, who set a new South African record in the 10m Olympic senior women’s category during the 2026 SAARA North West Open match on 21 February 2026.
Jo-Ann shot a decimal score of 626.0, surpassing the previous record by 0.7 points (which corresponds to a non-decimal score of 595 out of 600) while competing under the revised ISSF rules that took effect in January 2026. This outstanding accomplishment makes Jo-Ann an inspiration to all SAARA athletes.
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25. 12. 07
Isabella Cilliers is congratulated for equalling the SAARA National Senior record and establishing a new Junior record in the 3P Precision discipline at the 2025 SAARA December Open Championships, held on 6 December 2025.
Isabella achieved a score of 596 out of 600, attaining perfect marks in both the kneeling and prone sections of the match. We are proud of your outstanding accomplishment.
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25. 10. 12
The 2025 SAARA National Championship took place in Gauteng on 10 and 11 October 2025. We had a full programme with lots of entries, and we saw some excellent shooting with national records tumbling and many personal best scores.
We extend our sincere gratitude to the athletes and parents who supported the match, as well as to the Gauteng team, SAARA management team members, and sponsors whose contributions ensured the success of the event.
The final events featured outstanding performances, and the atmosphere was charged with anticipation due to several closely contested matches whose outcomes could not be predicted.
It was an honour to welcome Mr. Bennie van den Heever, President of SASSCo, to our match to observe our young athletes in action. We are privileged that he graciously agreed to present the trophies to our top performers of 2025.
The 2025 National champions for the various disciplines are:
10M Sporter Women - from the left - Lihandri Fourie - Gold, Leanka Fourie - Bronze, Danelle van Zyl - Silver
10M Sporter Men - from the left - Charl Kotze - Bronze, Dian Laage - Silver, Anru Robinson - Gold
10M Olympic Women - from the left - Lyjani Schonken - Bronze, Jo-Ann Serfontein - Silver, Isabella Cilliers - Gold
10M Olympic Men - from the left - AD Le Hanie - Bronze, Migael Moulder - Silver, Matthew Schutte - Gold
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25. 10. 12
Isabella Cilliers broke the SAARA National junior women's record in the 10m Olympic event at the 2025 Nationals Championships on 11 October, shooting a decimal score of 623.3 and surpassing the 2024 record of 621.5.
An excellent performance Isabella, you are making us proud.
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