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The two-time Olympic champion won the 25m Pistol Women event, coming back atop of an ISSF podium two years after her last World Cup victory in this event. Those athletes who had qualified in the lead for the final did not made it to the podium, leaving Silver and Bronze to Russia’s Klimova and Mongolia’s Tsogbadrah.

Athens 2004 and Sydney 2000 Sport Pistol Olympic Champion Maria Grozdeva of Bulgaria came back atop of an ISSF podium, winning today’s 25m Pistol Women final at the ISSF World Cup in Rifle and Pistol events in Fort Benning, USA.

The 37-year old Bulgarian athlete, who had won her last World Cup Gold medal in this event in 2008, claimed today’s Gold by climbing from the third place. Qualified with 585 points, she shot today’s highest final score, 207.0 points, moving up in the lead and eventually ending up in first place with a total score of 792.0 points.

Boosted by a Silver medal won in the 10m Air Pistol Women event five days ago, the Russian shooter Kira Klimova, ranked sixty-ninth in the world, followed Grozdeva on the podium, claiming Silver with a total score of 789.7 points. Qualified in third with 584 points, the 27-year old athlete climbed to the second place by shooting 205.7 points throughout the four final series, securing her first ISSF medal in this event.

It was Mongolia’s Munkzul Tsogbadrah who claimed today’s Bronze. The Mongolian athlete, ranked thirteenth in the world, climbed up from the sixth place by shooting 206.2 points in the final. The 29-year old shooter wore the Bronze with a total score of 789.2 points, coming back on an ISSF podium after missing since the 2008 World Cup stage in Milan.

Today’s turned out to be an unlucky final those shooters who had qualified in the lead. Kazakhstan’s Zauresh Baibussinova first with 587 points after the qualifications, scored 201.9 points during the final, ending up in fourth place with 788.9 points, just three tenths far from the podium. At the same time, the 2004 Olympic Silver medallist Lenka Maruskova of Czech Republic, who had qualified in second place with 586 points, sled down in the placements finishing her match in fifth place with 788.3 points.

The Chinese Pistol team finished in the spotlight once again, at the ISSF World Cup in Rifle and Pistol events in Fort Benning, USA, where more then 400 shooters met to compete in the ten Olympic events of Rifle and Pistol shooting from the 22nd through the 31st of May

Ding Feng won today’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol men competition, ending up on the highest step of the podium with a total score of 786.5 points. The 23-year old Chinese shooter, coming from Bronze at the World Cup held in Beijing a few weeks ago, won here his second consecutive ISSF medal leading the match from the first to the last series. After qualifying with 589 points, he shot 197.5 points during the final, managing his head start on his followers to close with the Gold.

Ding’s teammate Li Yuehong, 20, who ha won the first two World Cup stages of the season in Sydney and Beijing, made it into today’s medal match with 583 points, ending up in fifth with a total score of 779.0 points

“We have no secrets, it’s just hard work and a bit of luck!” said the Gold medallist Ding right after the last final series “I train about four hour each day, following the tables of my coach, it’s hard work but it pays off”

The Chinese shooter, twice on the podium this year, looks forward to the next matches of the 2010 season “Of course the World Championship is an important competition, but I am focusing on each and every match with the same intensity – he said – I will be in Serbia, at the next ISSF World Cup Stage, and then hopefully at the World Championship, trying to grab one of those Olympic Quotas for China”.

Today’s Silver went to Italy’s first time World Cup finalist Riccardo Mazzetti, 26, who finished on the podium passing through an odd defying match. The Italian shooter, ranked 48th in the World, entered the match in second with 583 points, and landed on the podium with a total score of 785.1 points.

“This is my first World Cup medal. I had never been in an ISSF final, before, but I was not so nervous. It’s fun to be here shooting with these great athletes…” said Mazzetti, whose best placement in his career had been third place at the 2009 European Championship.

“I would not say that I was expecting a medal, here – Admitted the Italian athlete, who shot today’s highest score in the final, 202.1 points – We are trying to peak for the World Championship. We started training a little bit later, and I would say I am not at my best. Therefore this medal surprises me. It surprises me in a positive way!”

Bronze went to Beijing’s Olympian Leonid Ekimov of Russia. The 22-year old shooter, ranked nineteenth in the world, ended up in third place with a total score of 782.8 points, climbing up from the fourth place by scoring 200.8 points during the final.

Beating world’s n. 1 Wu of China, Jamie Beyerle won the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women final, claiming Gold in spite of a sinuses infection.

“I have a sinuses infection, and I had some balance problems. I haven’t been feeling very good since a few days, now.” Said the American shooter Jamie Beyerle, the winner of today’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women event at the ISSF World Cup Final in Fort Benning, USA.

“This is why I shot that 7.9 on my seventh final shot… I lost the balance, and it was too late…” Continued Beyerle, who ended up in first place with a total score of 687.7 points, in spite of that unlucky shot.

Making it into the final round with a qualification score of 591 points and a huge advantage of six points on her followers, the home shooter (who’s currently ranked second in the world) scored 96.7 points during the final match. Enough to leave her opponents far behind her.

“It’s great that at the end I made it. Fort Benning is my home range, I am training here and I know this place very well, of course.” Said Beyerle, wearing the Gold medal. “I am going to Serbia, for the next World Cup, and then to the World Championship.” Added the American shooter, mentioning the most important shooting competition of the year “I just passed through our internal selections for the ISSF World Championship, so I will be there.”

In spite of the sinuses infection, the 25-year old athlete said she is going to be back on the shooting lines in a few days. “Our nationals are yet to start, but I think I will only compete one day. We have a tight schedule this year, and it’s important to be ready for the World Championship.”

There, in Munich, at the 50th ISSF World Championship where the first 2012 Olympic Quota Places will be awarded, Beyerle will meet the current number one in the world in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women event, China’s Wu Liuxi, who finished second today after scoring 686.0 points. Walking into today’s match with 585 points, the Chinese athete shot one of today’s highest score in the final, 101.0 points, proving to be in great conditions.

25-year old Wu is currently ranked first in both the Rifle Women events. Winning three Gold medals in the first two World Cup of the season, in Sydney and Beijing, and two Silver medals here in Fort Benning, she stands as the women to beat at the upcoming World Championship.

China celebrated two medals, today, thanks to Wu’s teammate Zheng Feng, who grabbed the Bronze medal. The 23-year old shooter, competing in her second ISSF World Cup Stage today, finished on the podium with 683.3 (583+100.3).

India’s Lajja Gauswami, shot today’s highest final score, 101.1 points, climbing up form the eighth to the fourth place. The 21-year old athlete squeezed into the final after a shoot-off with a qualification score of 581 + 50.3 points, ending then up in fourth with a total of 682.1 points, 1.2 points far from the podium.

Japan’s Seiko Iwata, also qualified for the match through a shoot-off, closed the match in fifth with 680.6 points, followed in sixth place by the second American finalist, 22-year old Amy Sowash.

The host country ruled the 50m Rifle Three Positions Men event, placing two shooters, Emmons and Parker, on the first two steps of the podium. Italy’s Campriani followed in third winning his second ISSF World Cup medal.

“It’s simply great to win a World Cup Gold medal in your home country.” Said today’s 50m Rifle Three Position Gold medallist, Matthew Emmons, the world’s top ranked shooter in this event who claimed today’s Gold with a total score of 1276.6 points.

Qualified in first place with the top score of 1178 points, the 2004 and 2008 Olympic medallist Emmons shot 98.6 points during the final, ending up in first place in spite of last shot of 8.9 points.

The American shooter, who had won the first World Cup Gold medal of the season in Sydney (AUS), will now compete in the next World Cup Stage in Serbia, on the path leading to the 50th ISSF World Championship in all events.

“The ISSF World Championship is the most important competition of the season. The first 2012 Olympic Quotas are going to be assigned there, and I am really looking forward to it.” Said Emmons “It’s not going to be easy, I know they expect a great turnout of athletes there.”

Following him today, his 35-year old teammate Jason Parker, a long-experienced world cup competitor, placed in second, securing Silver with a total score of 1274.1 points. Qualified in third place with 1174 points, Parker climbed up in second by scoring 100.2 points throughout the final, overtaking Italy’s Nicolò Campriani, who landed in third place.

Campriani, a 22-year old Italian shooter studying and training at the West Virginia University in USA, ended up in third securing Bronze with 1272.5 points, loosing Silver after scoring a disappointing 6.9 points on his last competition shot.

“We have been shooting together in Ft. Benning many times, and it is always a great experience to be here. I am extremely happy to share the podium with Jason Parker and with Nico Campriani. Nico is one of my favourite young shooters, he has all the pieces to become a champion.” Said the Gold medallist Emmons, who had several chances to train and compete shoulder and shoulder with the Italian athlete.

The 2009 Shooter of the Year, Peter Sidi of Hungary, placed in fifth with a total score of 1269.7 points, following Czech Republic’s Vaclav Haman, who ended up in fourth after shooting today’s highest final score, 101.3 points, for a total score of 1271.3 points.

China’s Yi Siling beat her teammate Wu Liuxi in a duel for today’s 10m Air Rifle Women Gold medal. Shooting two consecutive 10.9, and firing today’s highest final score, the 21-year old athlete won her first ISSF medal.

“Finally I got a Gold, after all those second places!” exclaimed Yi Siling, the 21-year old Chinese shooter who won today’s 10m Air Rifle Women Gold medal. Yi, ranked third in the world, had placed in second also at the last ISSF World Cup places in Beijing, just one month ago “I didn’t really realized that I was climbing up, today. I was feeling a little bit of tension during the match, starting in second place again.” said today’s Gold medallist.

Entering the match with a qualification score of 398 points, one point behind her teammate Wu Liuxi (world’s top ranked Air Rifle shooter), Yi climbed up in the lead by shooting today’s highest final score. Firing two consecutive 10.9s, the young Chinese shooter scored 103.3 points during the final, ending up in first with a total score of 501.3 points to win her first ISSF World Cup Gold medal.

“To shoot a 10.9 is not that common. It happened four time to me, today, twice during the sighting time and two consecutive times during the final round!”

The second Chinese finalist, Wu Liuxi, the current world rank leader and world record holder, finished in second place securing Silver with a total score of 500.8 points. After making it into the final with a qualification score of 399 points, she slid down in second by firing 101.8 points. The 25-year old shooter, who had won the last two ISSF World Cup Finals in 2008 and 2009, as well as the last World Cup Stage in Beijing, said that she will now try her best to succeed at the next ISSF World Championship, where the first 2012 Olympic Quota Places are going to be assigned.

“It is a great honour for me to finish on the podium together to Wu Liuxi – said the Gold medallist Yi – There is a certain sport rivalry between us, but only on the shooting lines. – Continued Yi – … And the World Championship is also my next goal…”

It was a first time finalist, Serbia’s Andrea Arsovic, who claimed today’s Bronze medal. The 23-year old shooter, who competed in a number of ISSF World Cup Stages between 2007 and 2010, had never gained a spot in a final round, so far. Qualified for today’s match in fifth place with 397 points, she shot a 102.3 points during the final to climb up in third place with a total score of 499.0 points.

The Olympic Bronze medallist of Beijing Snjezana Pejcic, place in fourth, today. The 27-year old Croatian shooter finished just 0.3 points far from the podium, closing the round with 499.0 points.

The home shooter, USA’s Jamie Beyerle, finished in sixth with a total score of 498.5 points.