Afërdita Tusha

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Afërdita Tusha Sport shooting
nation AlbaniaAlbania Albania
birthday September 4, 1945
place of birth Tirana ,  Albania
date of death 23rd September 2018
Career
discipline Sport shooting
society 17 Nëntori, Partizani
last change: May 28, 2020

Afërdita Tusha (born September 4, 1945 in Tirana ; † September 23, 2018 ) was an Albanian sports shooter . She was Albania's first female Olympian .

Tusha was an amateur who practiced her sport for 30 years. With 599 points, it holds the national record. She worked as a technician for dental equipment.

The first time that Albania sent a delegation to the Olympic Games was at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games  in Munich . In addition to the weightlifter Ymer Pampuri , four Albanian marksmen took part. Afërdita Tusha was the only woman in the group. As such, she also had the honor of carrying the Albanian flag at the opening ceremony. She wore an Albanian costume . Tusha competed 50 meters in the free pistol discipline .

Tusha had already participated in international competitions before the Olympic Games. Back then there were no international shooting competitions for women. Tusha was one of four female participants who had been qualified by the International Shooting Sport Federation for the Olympic Games in the shooting discipline . In the free pistol 50 meter competition, she was the only woman who competed against 58 men.

Her gender had already led to discussions before the games: Coach Ali Mata recognized Tusha's talent and encouraged her. In the national qualification she was better than all men. Even so, to everyone's surprise, her name was not read out when the participants of the Olympic delegation were announced. It took repeated interventions from Ali Mata, Afërdita Tusha and her husband so that in the end the best female athlete was allowed to travel. They even called on the Deputy Prime Minister Adil Çarçani , who spoke a word of power. Another excitement was the birth of their first daughter shortly before the Games.

With 552 points, Tusha finished 51st. Only in the second series did she convince with 94 points, the third best result of all participants in this round. She herself was disappointed with the result, which did not correspond to her possibilities. She was used to the Chinese pistol , but the conditions on the first day of the Olympic Games were unusual and challenging for her. Her compatriot Fatos Pilkati had done significantly better in the competition with the 24th place.

«… Prima al mondo senza essere campionessa mondiale»

"... world first without becoming world champion"

- Giovanni Armillotta

Tusha lived with her daughter in Milan in the 2010s , but also had an apartment in Tirana. She died on September 23, 2018 at the age of 73.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Uvil Zajmi: “Mynih 1972”: Tusha, e para që mbajti flamurin në një Olimpiadë. In: Gazeta Panorama. August 5, 2016, accessed on May 28, 2020 (Albanian, interview).
  2. ↑ Komiteti Olimpik Kombëtar Shqiptar : Afërdita Tusha. In: Facebook. September 25, 2018, accessed May 28, 2020 (Albanian, video).
  3. ↑ In Memoriem… Shuhet Afërdita Tusha, flamurmbajtësja olimpike. In: AlbanianSport.net. September 25, 2018, accessed on May 28, 2020 (Albanian).
  4. ↑ a b Giovanni Armillotta: La leggenda di Aferdita Tusha, prima al mondo senza essere campionessa mondiale. In: albanianews.it. September 8, 2009, accessed May 28, 2020 (Italian).
  5. ↑ a b c Free Pistol, 50 meters, Open. In: Olympedia. Retrieved May 28, 2020 (English).
personal data
SURNAME Tusha, Afërdita
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Albanian sports shooter
DATE OF BIRTH September 4, 1945
PLACE OF BIRTH Tirana , Albania
DATE OF DEATH 23rd September 2018