Éric Grauffel is a French sport pistol shooter in IPSC and firearms instructor with eight overall IPSC Handgun World Champion titles and one Junior World Champion title. Eric Grauffel is also the co-initiator of the EG-CZ Academy which is a training facility based in Quimper. He is known for having an unprecedented winning streak, and has won several hundreds IPSC President Medals. Additionally he has won the IPSC European Handgun Championships nine times. He is the son of the French national team trainer Gérard Grauffel. Biography Born and raised in Quimper, France (on the West coast), Eric still resides there when he is not traveling the world competing. He began shooting with an air gun at the age of eight. At age 10 he shot his first pistol and within a year Eric was competing. He won his first French National Championship at age 15 and his first world title at 18. Eric dedicates as many as three hours a day, five days a week in preparation for his sport. Each day he goes through a regimen of shooting and physical training. "This sport is basically technique, to be as skilled as possible you need to be like a thinking-robot." In practical shooting, competitors are required to take shots from all different positions, locations and angles. Shots often come on the move or at moving targets. Because all shooters are highly skilled, any edge one of the top competitors can get through physical training is very important. In addition to several practice sessions, Eric also spends several hours reloading each day. Grauffel says reloading his own ammo is much more cost-efficient and many competitors do this because it allows them to personally control everything about their ammunition. Endorsements Eric Grauffel is part of the famous CZ Shooting Team, Armscor, EG-CZ Academy. Merits 1995 Vice Junior French Handgun Champion Junior European Champion 1996 Best French over the season Overall winner of the French Handgun Champion Overall winner of the British Open Overall winner of the Swiss Open Vice Junior World Champion, Junior Team World-Champion, 20th at the overall Personal record in bowling pin shooting 1.73 seconds 1997 Overall winner of the 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th French Qualification 2nd overall at the Home Countries Championship, England Overall winner of the metal Trophy, La Tremblade Overall winner of the French Handgun Championship Best French over the season. 2nd at the Speed Plate