Odessa-born Ukrainian shooter Mykola Milchev has won silver at the 2026 European Shooting Championship in Greece, adding another continental medal to his career at the age of 58.
Milchev, the Olympic champion from Sydney 2000, hit 30 targets in the men’s skeet final to finish second behind Finland’s Eetu Kallioinen.
The Odesa athlete reached the medal round after qualifying in eighth place with 122 hits from a possible 125. He opened the final with 10 hits from 12 targets before moving into the top four.
Ahead of the final four shots, Milchev was leading with 28 targets. He hit two of his remaining four, while Kallioinen was perfect in the decisive series to finish with 31 and take gold. Sweden’s Henrik Jansson claimed bronze with 26.
The result gives Milchev his third European Championship medal and his second in consecutive years. He first became European vice-champion in 1999 and won bronze in 2025.
Milchev’s silver also secured Ukraine a quota place for the fourth European Games, which will take place in Istanbul from June 16 to 27, 2027.
Alongside continuing his competitive career, Milchev serves as a senior coach of the Ukrainian team and remains actively involved in the development of skeet shooting in Ukraine.
