1991
A new era begins in the early 1990s: After completing his studies, training and a one-year stay abroad in the USA, Jochen Anschütz joins ANSCHÜTZ in October 1991 as a further managing director and now runs the company together with his father Dieter.
As a junior manager, contact with athletes and their feedback around the world was also very important to him. He strengthened the sports service on a national and international level and expanded the personal contact now in the fifth generation.
Jochen Anschütz on his first day at work together with his father Dieter Anschütz, 1991
After Dieter Anschütz revolutionized the biathlon sport at the end of the 1970s with the introduction of a small bore biathlon rifle, the final breakthrough came in 1984 with the development of the Fortner action-straight pull action. Already at the beginning of the 90ies ANSCHÜTZ rifles dominated every biathlon competition. One of the most successful athletes at that time was the German Uschi Disl. She was one of the first internationally successful German biathletes and played a major role in the growing popularity of this sport. Between 1991 and 2006 she won two gold, four silver and three bronze medals at the Olympic Games. In addition, she won 8x gold, 8x silver and 3x bronze at World Championships. With a total of 30 individual victories in the World Cup, she ranks fourth among female biathletes. During her extraordinarily successful career her ANSCHÜTZ rifle was always a faithful and reliable companion.
Uschi Disl in action, ca 1990
Uschi Disel won four of her 19 World Championship medals in 1995 in Antholz, Italy. She won a silver medal in each of the individual, sprint and team events. She then made it to the top of the podium in the relay and took gold. In the team race, Disl and her teammates had to admit defeat to the Norwegian team, who won a commanding gold with a 50-second lead over the Germans. Elin Kristiansen, Annette Sikveland, Gunn Margit Andreassen and Ann-Elen Skjelbreid were the happy winners who shot a total of just two faults with their ANSCHÜTZ rifles.
The Norwegian winning team at the World Championships in Antholz, Italy 1990
Another very successful ANSCHÜTZ shooter in the early 90s was the American Launi Meili. At the 1990 World Championships in Moscow, she took gold with the air rifle team and won silver with the small bore in the three-position competition and bronze in prone shooting. A year later, she won another bronze medal with the air rifle team. She was also successful at the Pan American Games. Back in 1987 in Indianapolis, she won silver in both the small bore rifle three-position competition and the air rifle individual competition. In Havana, four years later, she again took the silver medal in the individual air rifle competition. Three gold medals then followed in the team competitions: Meili was part of the winning team with the air rifle and the small bore rifle in the prone position and in the three-position competition. The crowning glory came in 1992 at the Olympic Games in Barcelona: with the small bore rifle, she shot a new Olympic record of 587 rings with ANSCHÜTZ in the three-position competition in the qualifying round. In the final, she scored a further 97.3 rings and won gold. The total of 684.3 rings was also an Olympic record.
An autograph for Dieter Anschütz from Olympic champion Launi Meili. "To Dieter, our friendship means the world to me!" 1992
Honor Roll for Dieter Anschütz. Presented by the US Army Marksmenship Unit on January 11, 1995.
Launi Meili was not the only one who was grateful to Dieter Anschütz for his work and constant support. The soldiers of the US Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) from Fort Benning presented Dieter Anschütz with an honorary plaque in 1995 in recognition of his friendship and support as well as his commitment to the soldiers.
The plaque reads, "In sincere appreciation for all the support, encouragement and friendship you have shown the Soldiers of USAMU. From all USAMU shooters past, present and future."
In 2001, Zella-Mehlis celebrated a special anniversary. The local shooting had become proud 475 years old! Of course, Dieter Anschütz did not miss the opportunity to attend the celebrations, as both his father Max and his grandfather Fritz Anschütz had been active and successful members of the shooting club in Mehlis. Today, the "Schützenvereinigung - Schützenklub Zella-Mehlis 1891 e. V." offers about 110 members the opportunity to train their skills in the disciplines with the air and small bore rifle as well as air pistol, free pistol, sport pistol and revolver.
The members of the Thuringian shooting range, 2001
The shooting range in Zella-Mehlis, 2001
The shooting range in Zella-Mehlis in 1939. At that time it had about 40 shooting ranges at 50, 175 and 350 meters and a separate pistol range at 25 meters.
In 2004, once again a world record was set with an ANSCHÜTZ rifle. At first, her parents got the young Tyrolean Monika Einwaller (born Haselsberger) into shooting, later her commitment to the sport was the welcome excuse not to have to look after her little siblings. So she was trained by her father and supported by the whole family. She became an integral part of the Austrian national team and participated in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games in Sydney and Athens, respectively. At the World Cup, also held in Athens in 2004, she shot 400 out of 400 rings in the first competition with her new ANSCHÜTZ air rifle 9003 Premium - world record! With this she gave visible proof of her top position in international shooting sports and at the same time that this air rifle can rightly be listed under the category "DIE MEISTER MACHER".
World record holder Monika Einwaller with her ANSCHÜTZ air rifle 9003 Premium.
Thank you for your interest in our story. This is where it ends - at least for now. But of course we will continue to write our success story, and soon there will be more to discover here.
Stay tuned!
