JOHNSON, Ann-Marie (Pfiffner)

JOHNSON, Ann-Marie (Pfiffner) (Dubuque, IA, May 13, 1969-- ). Johnson was a four-time All-American and two-time air rifle national champion. She led the Mountaineers of West Virginia University to four consecutive NCAA rifle championships, including eight total air rifle and smallbore titles, from 1989-92 and a perfect 37-0 record. She held the air rifle 40 shots record of 397, set against Army in 1989, was the rifle team's most valuable shooter in 1992, and received the Fred Schaus Captain's Award. (1)

A former member of the U.S. National Team, Johnson was one of only 10 women in the country to qualify for the Olympic trials in 1992. She finished 12th with a personal best of 578 (women's 3-position) at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. She also competed at the 1996 Olympic trials. (2)

Johnson was the first United States shooter to fire a perfect 400 in women's air rifle 40 shots (standing) during the 1993 U.S. team selection; this was the first known 400 to be shot in the world. (3) Doing this required hitting "a pinpoint" forty consecutive times from thirty-three feet away. (4) She earned numerous medals during her career: (5)

1) a silver medal in air rifle at the 1991 Olympic Sports Festival

2) 1991 women's air rifle bronze medal at the World Cup USA

3) 1992 smallbore women's 3-position bronze medal at World Cup USA

4) 1992 smallbore women's 3-position silver medal at World Cup Suhl

5) women's air rifle gold and women's 3-position bronze at 1993 USA World Cup

6) air rifle silver at 1993 World Cup Milan

7) air rifle silver at 1993 UIT World Cup final Munich

8) air rifle gold medal at 1994 USA World Cup

9) women's smallbore 3-position bronze World Cup Milan, team gold women's air rifle at 1994 Beijing World Cup

10) women's air rifle gold medal at 1994 UIT World Cup final Munich

11) women's air rifle gold at 1991-95 USA International Shooting National Championships

12) smallbore women's 3-position gold at 1994 USA International Shooting National Championship

13) silver women's air rifle at 1995 Olympic Sports Festival

14) silver women's smallbore 3-position at 1995 Olympic Sports Festival and numerous women's air rifle gold

15) silver and bronze at the Munich Invitational Air Rifle Championships 1993-96.

16) 1994 USOC Female Shooting Athlete of the Year and 1993 and 1994 USST Female Rifle Athlete of the Year.

She married WVU alum David Johnson, the USA National and Olympic rifle coach. They lived in Colorado Springs with their son, Zachary. In 2010 Ann-Marie (Pfiffner) Johnson was inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame. (6)

Ann-Marie and her husband David Johnson who coached the United States' rifle team for the Beijing Olympics.

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Source:

1. Messerly, Bryan. "Ann-Marie Pfiffner Johnson," West Virginia Mountaineers, Online: http://www.wvusports.com/page.cfm?section=16671

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

4. Hersh, Phil. "Aiming For Perfection, Female Shooter Right On Target, " Chicago Tribune, July 24, 1993, Online: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1993-07-24/sports/9307240108_1_air-rifle-smallbore-ann-marie-pfiffner

5. Ibid.

6. "WVU Sports Hall of Fame Class Selected," May 23, 2010, Online: http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2010/5/23/wvu-sports-hall-of-fame-class-selected