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The German shooter equalled the 10m Air Rifle Women world record to enter today’s final. Then, as she met an excellent Snjezana Pejcic in the final, she had to duel right to the last shot, and further more, to secure the brightest medal.

The German rifle master Sonja Pfeilschifter showed off at today’s 10m Air Rifle Women event, at the ISSF World Cup in Rifle and Pistol events held in Belgrade, Serbia.

The 39-year old shooter claimed the Gold medal after becoming the protagonist of an extreme competition, which kept the spectator’s breath from the first to the last shot.

First, the German shooter qualified for the final round with a spectacular score of 400 points out of 400, equalling the current world record for the second time in her career. Entering the final match in first place with a two-point head start on the followers, nobody doubted that she was going to finish on the highest step of the podium with ease…

But then, struggling during the final match and scoring twice in the ninth ring, Pfeilschifter lost her advantage on the followers, finishing tied to Beijing’s Olympic Bronze medallist Snjezana Pejcic (who fired today’s highest final score) with a total score of 503.5 points.

The two athletes met then in a shoot-off for the brightest medal: a one-shot duel to determinate the winner of the 10m Air Rifle Women match.

Pejcic, shooting first, fired a 10.4. An excellent shot, but not enough to keep up with the 10.5-shot scored by Pfeilschifter, who moved upon the highest step of the podium securing the Gold medal with a total score of 503.5+10.5 points, leaving Croatia’s Pejcic the Silver with 503.5+10.4 points.

The German athlete, one of the best rifle shooters of the world, had won her last world cup Gold medals last year, when she had ruled both the world cup stages in Milan and Munich. Taking some time off from finals, she came back today as strong as ever, showing to be ready for the forthcoming World Championship fight. The 50^th ISSF World Championship in all events will indeed take place on the lines of the shooting range of Munich, her home venue, where she has been setting and equalling a number of world records throughout the last twenty years. There, she will have a chance to win in front of her supporters, and to grab one of the first 2012 Olympic Quota Places to get to London.

In Munich, Pfeilschifter will meet and face some of the strongest shooters of the world, as well as some of her skilled teammates. Shooters like the young Jessica Mager, 22, a two-time Junior European Champion, who finished upon today’s podium in third place, securing the Bronze with a total score of 501.3 points, about two points less then what scored by Pfeilschifter. Or like Beate Gauss, the third German finalist of this 10m Air Rifle match, who finished in fourth place with a total score of 500.4 points, just 0.9 points shy of grabbing a spot on the podium.

Belgrade’s is this year’s last world cup stage in Rifle and Pistol events, and the “Road to Munich” is getting closer to the end: the World Championship will kick-off on the 29th of July. Exactly in one month from today.

The calendar of the 2011 season unveiled. Shotgun starts from Chile at the beginning of March, while Rifle and Pistol from the Olympic shooting range of Sydney, where a combined World Cup will be hosted from the 21st through the 30th of March.

The International Shooting Sport Federation has uncovered the 2011 World Cup Series calendar. Shotgun shooters will open the season in Chile, at the beginning of March, while Rifle and Pistol shooters will follow in Sydney, where the only combined World Cup of the season will kick-off on the 21st of March.

The shooting ranges of Fort Benning, Beijing, Sydney, and Munich, which have been hosting World Cup events this season, will be again in the spotlight next year. Changwon, a traditional World Cup location in South Korea, will host again and ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup in April, while Shotgun shooters will be back in Belgrade at the end of August to take part in the 2011 ISSF Separate Shotgun World Championship.

2011 ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup Series

21/03 – 30/03 – Sydney (AUS) – Combined World Cup

11/04 – 19/04 – Changwon (KOR)

14/05 – 22/05 – Fort Benning (USA)

16/06 – 23/06 – Munich (GER)

2011 ISSF Shotgun World Cup Series

1/03 – 10/03 – Concepcion (CHI)

21/03 – 30/03 – Sydney (AUS) – Combined World Cup

19/04 – 28/04 – Beijing (CHN)

7/07 – 17/07 – Maribor (SLO)

2011 ISSF Shotgun World Championship

27/08 – 05/09 – Belgrade (SRB)

All these events are Olympic Qualifying competition. How many quotas will be distributed? Download the 2012 Olympic Games Quota Places distribution lists and rules here.

Detailed dates and locations of next year’s ISSF World Cup stages are published on the calendar section of the this website, at http://www.issf-sports.org/calendar/calendar_list.ashx

69 Quotas at the 2010 World Championship. The Qualification pathway for the 2012 Olympic Games of London has been uncovered. Quota Places will be distributed through the 2010, 2011 and 2012 season. Download the detailed Quota Place distribution list.

The International Shooting Sport Federation is pleased to announce that the 2012 Olympic Qualification pathway has finally been released.

As for the 2008 Olympic Games, 390 Quota Places will be distributed by the ISSF and the IOC throughtou the 2010, the 2011 and the 2012 seasons.

Quota places can be obtained in ISSF supervised Competitions / Championships according to the ISSF Rules and Regulations. They are:

- ISSF World Championship 2010/2011

- ISSF World Cups 2011

- Continental Championships 2010/2011/2012

At the 50th ISSF World Championship, which will take place in Munich starting form the 29th of July, 69 quota places will be distributed in Shotgun, Rifle and Pistol events. Check the full Quota Places’ distribution list: Download the full regulation of the 2012 Olympics Qualification path, including Qualification Timeline, MQS scores, solidarity places, Quota Distribution and Host Country representation rules.

The 25-year old Italian shooter won Gold with a thin margin of 0.2 points on the 2000 Olympic Champion Franck Dumoulin. Badaracchi aims now to the World Championship, and to the furst 2012 Olympic Quota Places.

It was Italy’s Mauro Badaracchi who won today’s 10m Air Pistol Men event, in the second competition day of the ISSF World Cup in Rifle and Pistol events in Belgrade (SRB).
The Italian shooter landed on the highest step of the podium with a total score of 685.9 points, beating France’s Franck Dumoulin by 0.2 points, and Russia’s Vladimir Isakov by 1.1 points.

“I made a couple of mistakes during the final, and I did not believe that I was in the lead, after the last shot. I was just hoping to be in the top three… the final result surprised me!” said Badaracchi right after the last shot. The 25-year old shooter from Rome had started the match in the lead with the highest qualification score of 586 points, but then he had been shooting in the ninth ring more then once throughout the final round.

“This was the first time I ever started a final in first place. I must confess that I was nervous, I was feeling the pressure and shaking a little bit” explained the Gold medallist, who closed the final round with a disappointing 9.2 shot, which after all turned out to be enough to keep the France shooter Dumoulin 0.2 points behind him.

“I am so happy to be back on the highest step of an ISSF podium, two years after my first victory – concluded the Italian athlete, who had won his first (and last) ISSF Gold at the 2008 World Cup held in Rio de Janeiro – I would like to dedicate this victory to my coach Marco Masetti and to my family!”

“I am looking forward to the World Championship, now – added Badaracchi before wearing the Gold – I hope that this medal will help me to give my best there, where the first 2012 Olympic Quota Places will be assigned!”.

Badaracchi’s victory upset the 2000 Olympic Champion, France’s 37-year old ISSF multi-medallist Franck Dumoulin, who landed on the second step of the podium. The French champion had started the match in third place with a qualification score of 585 points. Then, firing today’s highest final score, 100.7 points, he climbed up in second, eventually claiming the Silver with a total of 685.7 points, jut 0.2 points less then what scored by Badaracchi.

The 2004 Olympic Bronze medallist, Russia’s 40-year old ace shooter Vladimir Isakov, followed them in third place with a total score of 684.8 points. The Russian shooter, who had started in second place, fought against Dumoulin right to the last shot, sliding then in third place as he fired a frustrating tenth shot of 9.5 points.

USA’s Daryl Szarenski, who had finished in the spotlight during the previous three ISSF World Cup stages in Sydney, Beijing and Fort Benning, where he had won two Gold, one Silver and one Bronze medals, ended up today’s final in fourth place. Finishing with a total score of 683.5 points, he missed the podium by 1.3 points. Another top shooter, Serbia’s Damir Mikec, 26, the current World Ranke leader in this event, participated in the final, eventually finishing in fifth place behind Szarenski. The home shooter, who had won the Gold at the previous World Cup stage in Fort Benning and the Silver at the World Cup stage in Beijing, closed today’s round with a total score of 682.9 points.

The 23-year old shooter claimed her first ISSF medal, overtaking the 2004 Olympic Champion Kostevych and the Bulgarian shooter Boneva to finish on the highest step of the 10m Air Pistol Women podium.

France’s Celine Goberville won today’s 10m Air Pistol Women event at the ISSF World Cup in Rifle and Pistol events in Belgrade (SRB).

Making it into the final round in fourth place with a qualification score of 386 points, Goberville climbed up the scoreboard by firing 101.5 points throughout the medal match. The 23-year old athlete from Bordeaux eventually placed in first with a total score of 487.5 points, winning her first international medal ever.

Bulgaria’s Antoaneta Boneva followed her in second place, securing Silver with a total score of 487.4 points. Also the 24-year old Bulgarian athlete had never won an ISSF medal in this event, before.

The two first time medallists Goberville and Boneva upset the 2004 Olympic Champion, Ukraine’s Olena Kostevych, who landed in third place grabbing Bronze with a total score of 487.3 points. The 25-year old athlete had started the match in the lead with a qualification score of 389 points, firing then 98.3 points during the final and sliding down in the placements.

Belarus’ Viktoria Chaika followed in fourth place with 486.7 points, while Australia’s ace shooter Dina Aspandiyarova closed the match in fifth with 483.5 points.