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The ISSF World Cup in Shotgun events of San Marino is half the way through. The first three events, Skeet Men and Women and Double Trap, have taken place. The Trap Women and Men events will take place starting from tomorrow, June 22.

The intermediate medal standings:
Three nations are tied in the lead: the People’s Republic of China, Cyprus and Italy are leading the intermediate medal standings, with one Gold medal each.
Coming in next, the United States of America follows in fourth place, with one Silver and one Bronze medal.

The next medals:
The Next medals will be assigned tomorrow, June 22, at the Trap Women competition. The Final round is scheduled by 4.35 PM (San Marino Time, GMT +2).

Follow the match on issf-sports.org!

Medal Standings after three out of five events:

The reigning Skeet World Champion Georgios ACHILLEOS, 28, from Cyprus, won the Skeet Men competition at the ISSF World Cup in San Marino. The Cypriot shooter placed in first with a total score of 146 targets, after a qualification of 121 targets, and a perfect final of 25 hits.

“It’s great to be back atop of an ISSF podium” Said ACHILLEOS, who had won his last World Cup Gold medal at the 2008 stage of Belgrade. “It has not been easy today. We all struggled with the settings of these target machines.”

“Results speak by themselves: we shot-off to get into the final match with 123 targets, in Munich, and I won today’s match coming from a qualification of 121 hits.” Said the Cypriot champion, who won a Silver medal at the last World Cup stage of Munich.

“I am heading to the Mediterranean Games of Pescara, now. That’s my next biggest event, and I really hope to perform well even there.” Concluded ACHILLEOS, speaking about the Mediterranean Games which will take place starting from the next week.

Zaid ALMUTAIRI, shooting as fast as always, won today’s Silver medal with a total score of 145 targets. The 27-year old Kuwaiti athlete won the second world cup medal of his shooting career by shooting a strong score of 24 targets in the final, after a qualification of 121 hits.

A shoot-off to assign Bronze
The Bronze medal was assigned through a shoot-off, as Norway’s Tore BROVOLD and Germany’s Axel WEGNER ended up the final round with an equal score of 143 targets.

The Olympic Silver medallist BROVOLD won the duel for the podium, claiming Bronze with 8 hits in the shoot-off. The 1998 Olympic Champion WEGNER missed his eighth shoot-off target, shooting himself in fourth place where he landed with a total score of 143 +7 hits.

“I was tired of getting fourth places!” said the Norwegian Champion BROVOLD, smiling after the award ceremony. He had placed in fourth at the last ISSF World Cup stage of Munich “It hasn’t been easy;” He added, commenting on today’s competition; “we have been fighting with range’s settings yesterday and today. I am happy I made it to the podium…”

The second Norwegian finalist, Harald JENSEN, finished in fifth palce with a total score of 142 hits, after outdoing 6 to 5 hits in a shoot-off Denmark’s Jesper HANSEN, today’s sixth.

Cainero finished 7 targets ahead
The Olympic Champion of Beijing Chiara CAINERO of Italy won the Skeet Women final at the ISSF World Cup in San Marino, outdoing her opponents and placing on the highest step of the podium with a consistent advantage of 7 targets on her followers. The Italian shooter claimed the Gold medal with a total score of 95 (72+23) hits.

“Today’s it’s a special satisfaction. I met the Olympic Silver and Bronze medallist in this final: the best shooters of the world were part of this match;” said CAINERO right after the last competition shot.

“I qualified for the ISSF World Cup Final, which will take place in Beijing; – continued the Italian shooter  – It will be nice to go back on the range of the Olympic Games. I am looking forward to get back there!”

Mirroring the Games: Rhode and Brinker in second and third.
The 31-year old Italian shooter met again the Olympic Silver medallist RHODE and the Olympic Bronze medallist BRINKER. Today, the two shooters finished in second and third behind Cainero, mirroring what had happened at the last Games.

Both USA’s Kimberly RODHE, 29, and Germany’s Christine BRINKER, 27, ended up today’s final with a total score of 88 hits, and they had to keep on shooting for Silver and Bronze in a shoot-off. RODHE shoot-off her German opponents 3 to 2 hits, grabbing the Silver medal, her second ISSF award this year following the Bronze she gained at the World Cup stage in Munich last month. Bronze went to Christine BRINKER, who placed in third with third with 88 +2 targets.

“It was great to be back on the podium with Brinker and Caiero like at the Games. The shooting range is great, and San Marino is simply fantastic! – Said Kimberly RHODE after the match – The qualification rounds were kind of difficult because of the rain, but I tried to focus on each target. The final finished in a shoot-off, and shoot-offs are always unnerving, but I shoot the best I could.”

“This shooting range turned out to be very difficult for all the Skeet shooters – commented the Gold medallist Cainero. – We all have been struggling today… I closed the match with a good advantage, I am happy about that, but that hasn’t been easy!”

Following the three medallists, Great Britain’s Pinky LE GRELLE placed in fourth with a score of 87 (64+23) hits, after having made it into the final round through a shoot-off. Coming in fifth, the winner of this year’s World Cup stage in Cairo, Slovakia’s Danka BARTEKOVA, closed the match with 86 (64+22) hits, while the 25-year old Nathalie LARSSON of Sweden placed in sixth with 85 (65+20) targets.

Next appointment: Skeet Men event.
The next final round of this ISSF World Cup in San Marino, the Skeet Men match, will take place tomorrow, June the 18th, at 6.30 PM San Marino’s time (GMT +2). The first 50 qualification targets were shot today. Check the first results and tomorrow’s schedule on issf-sports.org!

ISSF Shotgun Committee notice/reminder – New Rules about shooting dresses.The ISSF Shotgun Committee notice that, starting from the 1st of January 2009:

1 – Headgears:
The front of headgears (such for example caps) can only have:
– the Emblem of the Country;
– the Emblem of the Federation;
– the Emblem of the ISSF;
– the Emblem of any ISSF Competition Organizer;
Nothing else is accepted, and no tape coverage is accepted.

2- Shooting vests:
On the back of the outer garment (such as the shooting vest), every shooter must have clearly indicated his/her Nation’s IOC abbreviation, and his/her Family name and the initial of the First Name.

For the year 2009, only verbal warnings will be given during both Equipment Control and Random Checking.

Starting from 1st January 2010, no shooter will be allowed to shoot if the above requirements are not met.