The 2015 ISSF World Cup Series lands in Munich, Germany, where a record-breaking number of 901 participating athletes coming from 87 countries will compete in the 10 Olympic Rifle and Pistol events from the 27th of May through the 1st of June.
105 medals and 78 Olympic quota places have already been assigned at the first five ISSF World Cup Stages of the season, held in Acapulco (MEX), Al Ain (UAE), Changwon (KOR), Larnaca (CYP) and Fort Benning (USA). Thirty more medals, and 24 Rio 2016 Olympic qualification spots, will be distributed here in Munich, the capital of Rifle and Pistol shooting.
The competitions will be held at the well-known 1972 Olympic Shooting Range of Munich, which hosted a some 25 ISSF World Cup Stages since 1986. The venue will also be the location of this year’s ISSF World Cup Final in Rifle and Pistol events, which will take place in a few months, from September 1st to September 7th.
The first medals of the Stage will be assigned tomorrow, Thursday 28th of May, at the end of the 10m Air Rifle Men and Women finals scheduled to take place at 13.30 and 17.00 (GMT+2), respectively.
ACAPULCO – MARCH 2: 4th placed Kayle BROWNING of the United States of America competes in the Trap Women Finals at the at the Club “Caza, Tiro y Pesca de Acapulco, A.C.” Shooting Range during Day 1 of the ISSF World Cup Shotgun on March 2, 2015 in Acapulco, Mexico. (Photo by Nicolo Zangirolami)
At the 10m Air Rifle Men event, once again everyone is waiting for Yang Haoran. China’s Youth Olympic champion, who ranks first in the world, will be one of the favourites to win tomorrow’s event. Yang, 19, is still looking for the first World Cup gold of his season, after he won silver in Changwon last April. Russia’s Nazar Louginets, who ranks just behind Yang worlwide, is also listed as one of the athletes who could make it to the podium. Louginets, who will turn 26 next Sunday, could make himself a gift by winning his first World Cup gold this year. Hungary’s Peter Sidi, ranked third in the world, will make a tough opponent for Yang and Louginets. Sidi, 36, has won gold at the first rifle and pistol competition earlier this season–there, he beat China’s Yang and Zhu.
Serbia’s Andrea Arsovic, 28, will try to win yet another gold after her success in Fort Benning two weeks ago. Arsovic, who ranks first in the world, has been missing on the podium’s highest step for two years–her last World Cup gold was in Fort Benning in 2103. Ivana Maksimovic, Arsovic’s teammate and an Olympic Silver Medalist, will raise Serbia’s chances of making a medal. Maksimovic, 25, has won a silver medal earlier in this season in Changwon. India’s 22-year-old Apurvi Chandela, who came in third behind Maksimovic in Changwon, will also run for a spot in the final tomorrow.
All the final matches will be broadcasted live, via internet, through the ISSF Website http://www.issf-sports.org and on the Livestream platform.
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