Italy’s Spada Claims Women’s Skeet Gold At The ISSF World Cup In Gabala (AZE)

The Italian shooter won the first Gold medal of the last ISSF World Cup Stage of the season held in Gabala, Azerbaijan, where 1100 athletes from 90 countries are competing in Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun events, trying to secure 34 Rio 2016 Olympic quota places and World Cup Final points.

Italy’s Katiuscia Spada (33) won the first Gold medal of the ISSF World Cup in Gabala (AZE), climbing atop of the women’s Skeet podium, today.

The 2003 ISSF World Championship silver medallist qualified with 73 targets, and then ruled the semi-final with a perfect score of 16 hits, making it into the Gold medal match where she met USA’s Morgan Craft, 22, the Bronze medallist of this year’s ISSF World Cup in Larnaca (CYP).

16 targets where not enough to decide the medal match, as the two shooters ended up tied with 15 hits each. In the following shoot-off, it was Spada who clinched the brightest medal, beating her opponents 4 to 3 hits. Craft secured Silver, her best ISSF result ever.

The Italian shooter came back on an ISSF podium four months after winning Bronze at last March’s ISSF World Cup Stage in Al Ain (UAE), at the end of a long season leading to Rio de Janeiro.

“It has been a great match, this is the result of a long preparation period, and of an intense season,” Spada said right after the medal ceremony. “We have been working hard and this medal pays off.”

“Ever since I came here in Gabala I had good feelings. The infrastructure is great, the targets are perfect, the event is well organized. And eventually these good feelings lifted me atop of the podium.”

“Scores have been extremely high here in Gabala,” Spada continued. “The game is getting really competitive. I zeroed in during the semi-final and I scored all the targets, and then I missed one clay during the medal match, but luckily I regained concentration in the shoot-off and I made it.”

Today’s Bronze medal went to Great Britain’s Amber Hill, 17, who finished in the spotlights once again after winning Gold at the first European Games edition, here in Azerbaijan, earlier this year.

Italy’s Spada claims women’s Skeet Gold at the ISSF World Cup in Gabala (AZE)

The young athlete qualified for the final phases of the competition with 73 hits, and then cleared the semi-final with 13 hits, advancing to the Bronze medal match where she met and beat Poland’s 24-year old Aleksandra Jarmolinska 16 to 15 hits.

Jarmolinska had qualified for today’s final in the lead, equalling the current world record with a perfect score of 75 hits out of 75 targets, and claimed a Rio 2016 Olympic quota place for her country. The 24-year old Polish athlete then hit 14 targets in the semi-final, and eventually ended up in fourth place with 15 hits in the medal match, behind Hill.

The 2004 and 2012 Olympic Silver medallist Wei Ning of the People’s Republic of China, 33, took today’s fifth place with 12 hits in the semi-final, after qualifying with 73 targets. She was followed by Caitlin Connor of USA, a 24-year old skeet shooter ranked fourth in the world, who survived a qualification shoot-off beating Chile’s Crovetto Chadid with 71+2 hits to access the semi-final, ending then up in sixth place with 12 hits.

Chile’s Francisca Crovetto Chadid, 25, secured the second Rio 2016 Olympic quota place up for grabs, as she placed in seventh with 72+1 hits.

The ISSF World Cup in Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun events in Gabala (AZE) will continue tomorrow, August 9th, with the Men’s Skeet final, scheduled to take place at 17.15 (GMT+5). After the first 50 qualification targets, six athletes are leading the pack with a perfect score of 50 hits: Georgios Achilleos (CYP), Saif Bin Futtais (UAE), Saud Habib (KUW), Azmy Mehelba (EGY), Emmanule Petit (FRA) and Gabriele Rossetti (ITA). Tomorrow’s final will be broadcasted live on http://www.issf-sports.org

Germany’s Link Seals Home Victory On The Last Competition Day Of The ISSF World Cup In Munich

The sixth ISSF World Cup Stage of the season was held in Munich, Germany, from the 27th of May through the 1st of June.

The season’s sixth ISSF World Cup stage just closed in Munich, Germany, where a record-breaking number of 901 participating athletes coming from 87 countries competed in the 10 Olympic Rifle and Pistol events from the 27th of May through the 1st of June.

Gaining three gold medals, the People’s Republic of China came atop the competition’s medal standings – Zhu Qinan, Zhang Jingjing, and Yi Siling were the athletes who contributed to their country’s success

Germany took the competition’s last gold medal, as Andre Link won today’s Men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions final against Yang Haoran of China. Link (458.7 points) held on to first place and closed with a 1.7-point lead on Yang, 19, who set a Final Junior World Record (457.0 points). The 20-year-old Link also won an Olympic quota, and so did Alexis Raynaud of France.

Gold medalist Andre LINK of Germany competes in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men Finals at the Olympic Shooting Range Munich/Hochbrueck during Day 5 of the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol on June 1, 2015 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by ISSF Photographers)

Earlier today, Antoaneta Boneva of Belarus won the Women’s 10m Air Pistol as she beat Serbia’s Bobana Velickovic with a 2.4-point lead. Boneva (200.6 points) had won a gold medal just two weeks ago at the Fort Benning World Cup. USA’s Lydia Paterson, Serbia’s Bobana Velickovic, and China’s Guo Wenjun took Olympic quota places for this event.

The competition had started last Thursday, May 28th, when China’s Zhu Qinan, a two-time Olympic Medalist, won the Men’s 10m Air Rifle gold, the season’s second World Cup medal for Zhu, who had won bronze last April in Changwon, Korea. The Chinese athlete (206.0 points) closed on a mere 0.3 points ahead of Russia’s Vladimir Maslennikov, the silver medallist. As Zhu already had one, Olympic quotas went to Ukraine, India, and Serbia, thanks, respectively, to Oleh Tsarkov (whose 184.2 points earned him a bronze medal), Abhinav Bindra (6th, 122.4 points), and Stevan Pletikosic (7th, 99.1 points).

Later on the same day, another Chinese athlete won the women’s event. China’s Yi Siling (209.8 points), a London 2012 Olympic Gold medallist, came in first in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle final with a 2.5 point lead on Croatia’s Valentina Gustin. Chen Dongqi, Yi’s teammate, came in third. Silver medallist Gustin also gained one of the three Olympic quotas for this event; the rest went to Austria’s Olivia Hofmann (5th, 143.7 points), and Germany’s Nina Laura Kreutzer (6th, 121.3 points).

Gaining the first of two gold medals in the competition – after eight years without winning one – Joao Costa came atop the Men’s 50m Pistol podium on the 29th of May. Costa (194.7 points) beat China’s Zhang Bowen, the silver medalist, and won the first World Cup gold after he had last got one in Munich in 2007. Two days later, Costa went on to win the Men’s 10m Air Pistol too. Tomoyuki Matsuda, the bronze medallist, came away with an Olympic quota for Japan. Italy’s Giuseppe Giordano (5th, 129.9 points) also gained a ticket to Rio.

Gold medalist Jingjing ZHANG of the Peoples Republic of China competes in the 25m Pistol Women Finals at the Olympic Shooting Range Munich/Hochbrueck during Day 2 of the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol on May 29, 2015 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by ISSF Photographers)

The same day, China’s Zhang Jingjing, the reigning World Champion, gave her country the third gold in two competition days as she won the Women’s 25m Pistol. Zhang made the final with a score of 19, and eventually beat Tanyaporn Prucksakorn in the gold medal match (7 to 1 hits). Prucksakorn of Thailand, and bronze medalist Yuliya Alipova of Russia won Olympic quotas for their countries.

On the 30th of May, the World Cup Stage continued with Michael Mcphail of the USA winning his second consecutive gold of the season at the Men’s 50m Rifle Prone. Mcphail (209.1 points) beat France’s Cyrll Graff and came in first, after he had already won the same event at the previous World Cup stage in Fort Benning. Vitali Bubnovich of Belarus took bronze. Silver medalist Graff and Stefan Raser (4th, 166.6 points) won Olympic quotas for France and Austria.

Day-3 also saw Christian Reitz of host country Germany winning the Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol as he beat USA’s Keith Sanderson. Reitz (32 hits) close in first with a 6-hit lead on Sanderson, the silver medalist, and 10 hits more than Russia’s Alexei Klimov, who came in third.
Sanderson and Klimov took the event’s two Olympic quotas.

Germany gained another gold in the next event, yesterday, May 31st, as Barbara Engleder easily won the women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions. Engleder (461.5 points) held a 6.5-point lead on runner up Yoo Seo Young of Korea. China’s Yi Siling won her competition’s second medal as came in third.Yoo of the Republic of Korea, and Ukraine’s Natallia Kalnysh gained Olympic quotas for their countries.

Portugal’s Joao Costa came back atop of the ISSF podium the same day, as he took over the Men’s 10m Air Pistol. Costa (201.4 points) beat Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsuda, the silver medallist, after he had claimed the gold in the men’s 50m Pistol just two days earlier. China’s Sun Yang, the bronze medallist, also gained an Olympic quota for his country. So did India’s Gurpreet Singh (4th, 154.8 points), and Lee Daemyung of the Republic of Korea (5th, 136.0 points).

(L-R) Pavla SCHORNA, Judith WAGNER and Kerstin SCHMIDT in the ISSF Target Sprint at the Olympic Shooting Range Munich/Hochbrueck during Day 4 of the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol on May 31, 2015 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by ISSF Photographers)

During Day-4 of the ISSF World Cup in Munich, the ISSF Target Sprint – an event that combines shooting and running – was conducted. Germany’s Judith Wagner won the Women’s event for the third year in a row. Wagner crossed the finish line in 0:05:49,3. Pavla Schorna of the Czech Republic, the silver medalist, closed on 0:06:00,1. Bronze medalist Kerstin Schmidt of Germany completed the event in 0:06:13,9. Another German athlete, Michael Herr, won the Men’s event. Herr beat Marian Valek of the Czech Republic as he closed on closed on 0:05:13,7 – the day’s best time. Silver medallist Valek followed Herr on a time of 0:05:21,3. Germany’s Tino Hopfe took the bronze (0:05:27,4).

The ISSF World Cup Series will now move on to Gabala, Azerbaijan, after a two-month stop. The next ISSF World Cup Stage – in Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun events – will indeed take place there from between the 6th and the 16th of August.

6th ISSF World Cup Stage Of The Season Kicks-Off In Munich

ISSF – INTERNATIONAL SHOOTING SPORT FEDERATION

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.

ISSF World Cup Shotgun 2015 – Acapulco, MEX – Finals Trap Women
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.

ISSF Shotgun World Cup Opens In Al Ain (UAE)

ISSF – INTERNATIONAL SHOOTING SPORT FEDERATION

Following the inaugural ISSF World Cup in Acapulco (MEX), the second ISSF Shotgun World Cup Stage of the season kicked off in Al Ain (UAE) yesterday.

The competition sees the participation of 431 athletes coming from 71 nations. Athletes will compete in the five Olympic events of Skeet, Trap and Double Trap, at the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf club, from the 21st right to the 28th of March.

Ten Olympic Quota Places – the qualification slots for Rio 2016 – are up for grabs, two in each of the shotgun events.

The ISSF President, Olegario Vazquez Raña, welcomed the shooters during today’s Opening Ceremony, at the presence of the Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan and of the Chairman of the Al Ain Equestrian Shooting and Golf Club Mohammed bin Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Vincent Hancock, Photo by Tim Hipps, FMWRC Public Affairs
https://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/2799805285/in/photolist-cJbcim-8mpnm4-cHCUZw-8mLbYA-5gpJyV-8mL7Uf-kn2tjV-d8Pq35-d8Ppy3-fszWy-5gu5EJ-5e7Xm8-bV2gBi-ccowrQ-8mLaxJ-4Y6for-dauRQm-cVtBYW-c37BnE-cVtC5b-cVtCfC-c37Bkh-c37Z6f-cVtCc5-c37Bgy-7Tx3yN-cH8hEb-9ZsjHt-cHbs89-ietpvH-fQtemN-cJLLgG-jNn5BB-c6TF2f-cKaxxs-hZ7qHj-8gDbGQ-joR8y6-j2KLC4-i9RgRb-iBTaBU-cHbs9U-cJkMzS-cHCDyN-cH63fb-cH7gnG-cH6g1b-cH7eDU-cH69U9-cH65sA

Mr. Olegario Vazquez Raña said: “We wish all athletes much success, and great moments, here in the beautiful Al Ain. This World Cup Stage is organized in an excellent venue, which has now five combined ranges for Trap, Double Trap and Skeet. We are looking forward to optimal weather conditions, for all participating athletes.”

“We express our appreciation to the Organizers, the United Arab Emirates Shooting Association under the guidance of the President Major General Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi, for their great efforts in preparing this prestigious competition.” The ISSF President added.

The first medals and quotas will be assigned today, March 21, at the Trap Women Finals scheduled to take place at 16.45 (UAE time). The competition will then continue on March 22, with the Trap Men Finals taking place at 16.15. After a day of pre-event training, the Double Trap competition will be held on March 24, with the Finals scheduled to take place at 15.30. The Skeet Women and Skeet Men events will close Al Ain’s ISSF World Cup Stage on March 27 and 28, both at 17.00.

FOOTBALL TRANSFER RUMOURS, DONE DEALS AND TITBITS

Asamoah Gyan

The transfer market has been very busy today and so as our man Paul, and here are Friday’s transfer stories and some football titbits.

You can follow Paul on twitter: @El_Pauleta on twitter and also follow @NewFanzone and we will follow you right back, lets keep the discussion going.

Done Deals:

– Official: Didier Drogba returns to Chelsea on a one-year deal

– Hellas Verona have completed the signing of Brazilian Striker Nene on a free transfer.

– Juventus have completed the signing of Udinese midfielder Roberto Pereyra on a season-long loan.

– Millwall have completed the signing of striker Magaye Gueye after he was released by Everton earlier in the summer.

– Hannover 96 have completed the signing of Nurnberg attacking midfielder Hiroshi Kiyotake

– Chievo Verona have completed the signing of 32-year old defender Alessandro Gamberini from Napoli on two-year deal.

– Fiorentina have announced they have reached an agreement with Monterrey to sign Argentine international Jose Maria Basanta.

– Former USA progidy Freddy Adu have joined Serbian club FK Jagodina

– Real Sociedad have confirmed the signing of Argentine goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli.

– Benfica have completed the signing of Manchester United winger Bebe.

– Crystal Palace have confirmed the signing of Frazier Campbell from Cardiff City on a three-year deal.

– Ghanian Striker Asamoah Gyan has signed a new four year deal with UAE side Al-Ain worth $250,000 per week.

Didier Drogba

Todays Report and Rumours:

– Sevilla are ready to make an approach for Norwich midfielder Leroy Fer

– Sunderland is interested in a loan deal for Chelsea defender Patrick van Aanholt.

– Atletico Madrid have joined Inter Milan in the race to sign £15million rated Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez

– According to reports,Arsenal have offered Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas a five-year deal worth £1.5million per year

– Liverpool Captain Steven Gerrard is on the verge of signing a new deal that will keep him at the club till 2016.

– Burnley are lining up a bid for Nottingham forest midfielder Henri Lansbury

– West Brom are keen on signing £3million rated sassuolo striker Leonardo Pavolletti

– According to reports in France, QPR has joined the race to sign French International Mathieu Valbuena

– Atletico Madrid are hoping to hijack a deal for Lille striker Divock Origi

– Rafa Benitez have rubbished reports that Napoli are interested in signing Real Madrid goalkeeper Diego Lopez.

– Everton are stepping up their interest in AIK winger Nabil Bahoui

– Barcelona have turn their attention to signing Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen after been told by Paris Saint-Germain that Marquinhos is not for sale.

– Borussia Dortmund are on the verge of signing 18-year old striker Carlos Standberg from BK Hacken for €1.5million.

– According to reports, Manchester United Manager Louis van Gaal has told Dutch winger Memphis Depay to stay at PSV for another year.

– Rennes midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko is set to complete a move to Monaco.

– Benfica are close to signing Argentina world cup goalkeeper Sergio Romero from Monaco

Football tit bits:

– Claudio Ranieri has been appointed as coach of Greece on a two-year deal.

– The Court of Arbitration for Sport could rule on the appeal by Luis Suarez against his four-month ban for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup at around the time the Spanish league season begins.

– FIFA has fined the Argentine FA 30,000 Swiss francs (19,330 pounds) after members of the national team were pictured standing behind a political banner before a World Cup warm-up match against Slovenia on June 7.

– FIFA has rejected calls to move the 2018 World Cup from Russia, saying the tournament “can achieve positive change.” Russia’s alleged involvement in shooting down a Malaysia Airlines plane over Ukraine last week prompted calls from some lawmakers in Germany to review the country’s hosting rights. FIFA issued a statement saying it “deplores any form of violence” and would support only peaceful, democratic debate about the World Cup.

– Cristiano Ronaldo is set to become the first client of Young Money Entertainment mogul Lil Waynes’s sports management company.

– Bayern Munich have today Unveiled their New Away Kit