ISSF Rifle And Pistol World Cup Final Kicks-Off In Munich. Zhang And Mcphail Claim Titles

The men’s 50m Pistol and 50m Rifle Prone event opened the 2015 ISSF World Cup Final in Munich, Germany, where the best shooters of the world are competing from the 2nd through the 7th of September to secure this year’s ISSF World Cup Titles.

The 2015 ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup Final kicked-off in Munich, Germany. The best 85 rifle and pistol shooters of the world, selected throughout this year’s four ISSF World Cup Stages in Changwon (KOR), Fort Benning (USA), Munich (GER) and Gabala (AZE), arrived here to challenge the title defenders and the 2014 World Champions, aiming at the 2015 World Cup title.

Russian Trap champion Alipov claims the last gold of the ISSF World Cup in Gabala photo credit: ISSF

The event takes place at the 1972 Olympic shooting range of Munich from the 2nd through the 7th of September, in combination with the German Shooting Championship, one of the largest shooting competitions of the world which sees over 8 thousands athletes from all over the country competing in Olympic and non Olympic shooting events in ten days.

Zhang Bowen of the People’s Republic of China (19) won the first Gold medal of the Final, finishing atop of the men’s 50m Pistol event, today. Zhang, the youngest finalist, shot a consistent match, leaving behind him Olympic and world champions, to win his first world cup final in career.

With 192.6 points, the Chinese athlete beat Vietnam’s Xuan Vinh Hoang (40), who finished in second place with 189.3 points after closing his match with three frustrating shots in the seventh ring (7.8, 7.5, 7.9). Nevertheless, Hoang won the applauses of the spectators. Travelling from Vietnam to Germany, his baggage was delayed and the Vietnamese shooter did not receive his pistol in time for the competition. As extrema ratio solution, the 40-year old athlete shot the match with a new, out-of-the-box pistol, without custom grip and adjustments. A remarkable achievement in today’s shooting sport world, where every single piece of equipment is usually fine-tuned and customized to the last screw.

Hoang also managed to keep behind himself the title defender, the winner of the 2014 ISSF World Cup Final Wang Zhiwei (27) of the People’s Republic of China, who placed in third with 173.6 points after a close duel against his teammate Mai Jiajie (28).

World’s #1 Michael Mcphail of USA (33) claimed Gold at the following 50m Rifle Prone Men final, securing the world cup title with 208.5 points and 1 point of advantage on Russia’s Kirill Grigoryan (23), second with 207.5 points.

The US athlete closed the ISSF season in the best possible way after winning two world cup stages in Munich and Fort Benning, and collected his very first world cup title sealing his leadership atop of the world ranking.

ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup Final kicks-off in Munich. Zhang (CHN) and Mcphail (USA) claim the first two titles

“I am very happy with how the season turned out,” Mcphail said. “In the past years I have shot both the 50m Rifle 3 Positions and the 50m Prone Men events, and it takes so much time to train in a proper way. This season I just shot Prone, and it’s much easier.”

“I am going to take a month off now. We have a son who’s due in the end of October, my second one, I am very excited!” Mcphail added, speaking after the award ceremony.

Following Mcphail and Grigoryan, Croatia’s Bojan Durkovic (25) pocketed today’s Bronze medal with 186.5 points, leaving Australia’s 2008 Olympic bronze medallist Warren Potent (53) in fourth place with 165.7 points.

The 2015 ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup Final in Munich will continue tomorrow with the women’s 25m Pistol and the men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol finals, due at 16.45 and 18.00 (GMT+2).

All finals 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.

51st ISSF World Championship In All Shooting Events Officially Closed In Granada, The ISSF Flag Goes To Changwon

ISSF – INTERNATIONAL SHOOTING SPORT FEDERATION

14 days of competitions, 53 events conducted, 64 Olympic quota places assigned, 306 medals awarded: these are the numbers of the 51st ISSF World Championship in all Shooting events that came to an end in Granada, Spain, today.

The 51st ISSF World Championship in all Shooting events has been officially closed at the CEAR Juan Carlos I shooting range of Las Gabias, Granada, Spain, this evening.

Over 2000 athletes from 94 countries – for a total of almost 4000 starts – competed in 15 Olympic Shooting events and 39 non-Olympic events there from the 6th through the 19th of September.

The ISSF World Championship in all Shooting events takes place every four years (last: Munich, Germany, 2010; next: Changwon, Republic of Korea, 2018), and it’s the major competition organized by the International Shooting Sport Federation.

Sixty-four Olympic Quota places were distributed by the ISSF to the best finalists during the event, opening the qualification path leading to Rio 2016.

The People’s Republic of China finished atop of the overall medal standings, with an impressive tally of 44 medals (19 Gold, 16 Silver, 9 Bronze including also Junior and Team events). Germany followed in second place with 25 medals (15 Gold, 6 Silver, 4 Bronze) while the Russian Federation took the third place with 9 Gold, 13 Silver and 18 Bronze, for a total of 40 medals.

Ten new world records were established and 3 world records were equalled in senior events. Junior athletes also gave their best, setting 13 new world records and 6 new final world records.

​

During today’s Closing Ceremony, the Royal Spanish Shooting Federation returned the ISSF flag to the ISSF President Olegario Vazquez Raña, who then handed it to the representatives of the Korea Shooting Federation and of the city of Changwon, where the 52nd ISSF World Championship will be held in 2018.

The ISSF President Olegario Vazquez Raña said: “This ISSF World Championship in Granada has been a great sport event: we’ve witnessed excellent competitions, and extraordinary results scored by our athletes.”

“The new finals introduced after the 2012 Olympic Games brought drama and emotion into our sport. The atmosphere during the competitions, here in Granada, has been great.”

For the first time in the history of the International Shooting Sport Federation, junior finals were staged during this championship. And this is just the beginning, according to the ISSF President: “Junior finals are a step forward for our sport, and a great opportunity for the young athletes. I will propose to establish a new separate Junior World Championships, a competition completely dedicated to the youth.” Mr. Olegario Vazquez Raña concluded.

“This Championship has been a festival for our sport.” The ISSF Secretary General Franz Schreiber said. “We are looking forward to the 52nd ISSF World Championship in all Shooting events that will be held in Changwon in four years.

The Wolrd Championship is over, but the ISSF Shooting Sport season continues: the best shooters of the world are now heading to Gabala, Azerbaijan, where the 2014 ISSF World Cup Final in Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun events will be held from the 21st through the 28th of October. There, Granada’s medallists will meet the world cup title defenders and the top performers of this year’s world cup series, aiming at the 2014 ISSF World Cup Title.