William Shaner is an American sports shooter who has won many national and international championships. He is currently a junior at the University of Kentucky, where he is a member of the rifle team.
He made history at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by winning gold in the men’s 10 meter air rifle event, becoming the second youngest American to win an Olympic medal. He also established a new Olympic record by scoring 251.6 points.
Born on April 12, 2001
Shatner was born in Cote Saint-Luc, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to Joseph and Anne (Garmaise) Shatner. He was raised as a Conservative Jew.
He began his acting career when he was four years old and performed in local radio shows before moving on to the National Repertory Theatre of Ottawa and the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.
During his time at McGill University, he also became involved with the Sumner theater group. In December 1958, he co-starred with Ralph Bellamy as a Roman tax collector in Bethlehem on the day of Jesus’s birth in a Hallmark Hall of Fame live television production entitled The Christmas Tree.
He later starred as Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek from 1966 to 1994, winning the Saturn Life Career Award in 1980. He has also starred in several other TV series, including T.J. Hooker, Star Trek: The Animated Series and Futurama. He and his wife, Elizabeth Shatner, have two children.
Education
Driven by the pursuit of perfection and appreciation for his small-town roots, Will Shaner strives to be a role model for the next generation of shooting athletes. His passion for precision and discipline has earned him national and international honors.
As a junior, he was a member of the University of Kentucky’s junior rifle team and earned first-team All-American status for his performance in aggregate, smallbore and air rifle. He also earned senior shooter of the year recognition from the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association and the ISSF World Cup gold medal in men’s 10-meter air rifle.
At the Tokyo Olympics, he qualified for the finals of the men’s 10-meter air rifle and finished with an Olympic-record 251.6 points. He topped China’s Sheng Lihao for gold.
Career
William Shaner has been shooting sports since he was 9 years old at a small 4-H program in Rifle, Colorado. He then started monthly preliminary tryout events at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center until he could start qualifying for major matches at age 14.
Shaner won his first Junior Olympic Gold Medal at age 11 in 50m prone, followed by making the Junior National Team at age 14 which propelled him into the international circuit. He continued to shoot competitively through college at the University of Kentucky where he was named NCAA Rookie of the Year and was an All-American first team member in both air rifle and smallbore.
Shaner became the youngest American man to win an Olympic event on Sunday with a gold in the men’s 10-meter air rifle, finishing with an Olympic-record 251.6 score. Chinese 16-year-old Sheng Lihao took silver and countryman Yang Haoran earned bronze.
Personal Life
Born on April 12, 2001, in Colorado Springs, CO, William Shaner started shooting at an early age. He quickly developed a passion for the sport and honed his skills over the years, winning numerous national and international competitions.
He became a member of the National Training Center Shooting Club and is currently representing team USA on various international events. He has already won a bronze medal in the 50 m rifles prone event at the 2018 World Championships and is set to win gold at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Shaner has an impressive track record and is a role model for other young shooters. Driven by his pursuit of perfection and appreciation for his small-town roots, he strives to help the next generation of shooting athletes succeed.
