William Leushner

Olympic medal record
Men's Shooting
Gold 1908 London Team military rifle
Silver 1912 Stockholm 100 metre team
running deer, single shots
Bronze 1912 Stockholm 50 metre team small-bore rifle
Bronze 1912 Stockholm 25 metre team small-bore rifle

William D. F. Leushner (November 27, 1863 in Cookstown, Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada to Paul J.F.B. Leushner & Ann Evans – October 25, 1935 in Buffalo) was a competitive rifle shooter.

As a teenager he moved to Buffalo, NY and joined the United States National Guard. In the 1908 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. military rifle team, having the highest individual score in the team competition. In the 1912 Summer Olympics, Leushner won a silver medal in the "team running deer, single shot 100 meters" competition (targets, not actual deer were used) and two bronze medals, finishing third in the "small-bore rifle teams 25 meters", and "small-bore rifle teams 50 meters". William Leushner finished his Olympic career at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium in which for the first time he failed to medal. He was three time winner of the National Rifle Association of America's (N.R.A.) Members Trophy, winning the inaugural contest in 1901, and taking the title again in 1903 and 1908.

As a member of the U.S. National Guard, Leushner served on the Mexican border Pancho Villa Expedition with the 74th regiment. He served as a marksmanship instructor at Camp Perry during the first World War and one year with the American Army of Occupation from 1919-1920. He was eventually made Lt. Colonel in the reserve corps. William F. Leushner died October 25, 1935 at age 71, in his home Buffalo. He had no children and was survived by his widow and several Canadian relatives.

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