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Jessica Rossi and PEter Sidi have been voted as “2009 Shooters of the Year” by a special commission of the AIPS, the International Sport Press Association.

Jessica Rossi of Italy and Peter Sidi of Hungary are the “Shooters of the Year 2009”. The two athletes were named as best shooters of the past season by the members of the International Association of Shooting Sport Journalists, a commission of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS). Rossi and Sidi won the votes of the delegates thanks to their outstanding performances throughout the 2009 ISSF World Cup Series, World and Continental Championships.

Jessica Rossi, an Italian Trap Shooter, won the most of the commission’s votes, securing the title with 76 points. During the 2009 season, when she was still 17-year old, the prodigious athlete conquered the World Title at the ISSF World Championship of Maribor (SLO), facing and beating experienced champions on her way to the highest step of the podium. Nobody could resist Rossi’s perfect rhythm, this year. The Italian phenomenon won also at the European Championship held in Osijek (CRO), and placed twice on the podium during the ISSF World Cup Series, claiming Silver both in Cairo and Munich. Rossi turned eighteen the last 7^th of January, and the new year brought her a new challenge: the 2010 World Championship in all events in Munich, where the first Olympic quota places of London 2012 will be awarded. Will she defend her title, gaining an entrance ticket for her first Games?

Peter Sidi, a 31-year old Rifle ace-shooter, became the 2009 Shooter of the Year with 75 points thanks to the breathtaking series of extreme results he nailed throughout the season. Sidi, an Olympic finalist of Beijing in the Air Rifle Men event, won medals shooting on all distances, this year. At the European Championship of Osijek (CRO), he claimed a clamorous Gold medal at the 300m Rifle Three Positions Men event by setting a new World Record of 1184 points, finishing in first with nine points of advantage on his followers. Sidi became the “rifle king” of Osijek by winning also the 50m Rifle Three Positions Men match, climbing up the scoreboard throughout a severe final round. The Hungarian athlete displayed his skills also on world-level arenas, grabbing a Gold medal at the ISSF World Cup in Beijing and a Silver medal in Munich. Sidi closed then the season on the podium at the ISSF World Cup Final in Wuxi (CHN), when he placed in second at the 10m Air Rifle Men event.

The 2010 season is yet to start and ready to challenge the two shooting champions. The first ISSF World Cup Stage will kick-off in Acapulco, Mexico, where Shotgun shooters will meet after the long winter break on the 1st  of May. The Olympic Shooting Range of Sydney, Australia, will host the first 2010 World Cup Stage in Rifle and Pistol events, starting from the 20th of March. The International shooting season will then climax right up to the 50th ISSF World Championships in all events of Munich, next July, where more then 2000 athletes will participate in the biggest shooting competition ever, trying to secure the first London 2012’ Olympic Quota Places.

The International Shooting Sport Federation re-tested all Electronic Scoring Target systems which had been approved by the ISSF once and the result is as follows. For further information, please contact the ISSF Headquarters.

The International Shooting Sport Federation re-tested all Electronic Scoring Target systems which had been approved by ISSF once, and the result is as follows.
For further information, please contact the ISSF Headquarters.

The 50th ISSF World Championship, London 2012 Olympic quota places, the first Youth Olympic Games and the ISSF World Cup Series are the main ingredients of the breathtaking 2010 Shooting Season.

50th ISSF World Championship – Qualification to London’s Olympic Games

2010 is going to be a year Olympic qualification: the first Quota Places for the 2012 London Olympics will be awarded during the ISSF World Championship in all events taking place in Munich, starting July the 29th.

The 50th ISSF World Championship will take place at the 1972 Olympic Shooting Range in the outskirts of Munich, which has been renewed to host the most important shooting competition of the year. A record number of athletes is expected to take part in the elite match, to compete in fifteen Olympic events and in several non-Olympic and junior events.

“This venue is fantastic! I’ve been competing here in Munich during the 1972 Olympic Games! It has always been one of the best ranges of the world.” said the ISSF President Olegario Vàzquez Raña, visiting the venue during the 2009 World Cup held here “We have received a report from the organizers of the 2010 World Championships – the President continued – and I am sure that it is going to be a great event. We trust on our German friends, and the 50th ISSF World Championships is probably going to best championship we have ever been preparing.”

“The best shooters of the world will come to Germany. – Said the President of the German Shooting Federation, Josef Ambacher, speaking about the most important ISSF competition of the year – We have been entrusted by the International Shooting Sport Federation to Organize this World Championship. We are aware of the great honour and we will endeavour to make this event a successful festival with a positive response in the public. The sports facilities are in excellent condition and the final rehearsal at the World Cup 2009 has shown that even the newly-built clay target facility meets the highest international standards.”

Youth Olympic Games – 80 shooters in Singapore

Youth will be in the spotlight, during the 2010 season. Qualification competitions are taking place in all continents, leading to the first edition of the Youth Olympic Games that will kick-off in Singapore the 14th of August. There, 3200 athletes aging between 14 and 18 will compete in 26 different sports. Eighty young shooters will have a chance to compete in four events: Air Rifle and Air Pistol, Men and Women, carrying on the shooting sport Olympic tradition.

The first Youth Olympic Games quota places where awarded at the Oceania Championship in Sydney (AUS) and at the Asian Championship in Doha (QAT).

The 2009 Running Target World Championship of Heinola was closed by the 50m events. Russia’s Stepanov won both the Men events, equalling a World Record.

50m Running Target Mixed Men – Two shoot-offs closed the match.
Two shoot-offs closed an exciting 50m Running Target Mixed Men competition, at the 2009 ISSF Running Target World Championship in Heinola.
After finishing the match with a tied score of 392 points, Maxim STEPANOV of Russia met the home shooter Steffan HOLMSTROM of Finland in shoot-off for Gold. After the first shoot-off round, both the athlete had shot an equal shoot-off score of 18 points. The second shoot-off round solved the contest in favour of the 29-year old STEPANOV, who claimed Gold beating HOLMSTROM 19 to 18 points.
After scoring 391 points, Niklas BERGSTROEM of Sweden won the shoot-off for Bronze, beating 20 to 19 points the Russian shooter KOLESOV.

The Russian Federation claimed the Team Gold, totalizing a score of 1169 points scored by Maxim STEPANOV, Igor KOLESOV and Alexander IVANOV. Following only one point behind, Finland placed in second, shooting Silver with a total of 1168 points, while Team Bronze went to Czech Republic with a score of 1158 points.

50m Running Target Men – Stepanov equalled the World Record.
Russia’s Maxim STEPANOV, 29 won the 50m Running Target Men event with a total score of 596 points, equalling the World Record set by Niclai LAPIN (URS) in 1987. STEPANOV’s record score left no chances to his opponents. Finland’s Krister HOLMBERG finished in second place six points behind him, with a total of 590 points, while Bronze went to the Slovakian shooter Peter PELACH, third with 589 points after winning a shoot-off against Russia’s ROMANOV.

Thanks to STEPANOV’s record score, and to the results of his teammates ROMANOV and KOLESOV, Russia secured the Team Gold with a total score of 1768 points. HOLMBERG’s Finland finished in second place, claiming Silver with an overall score of 1752 points, while Slovakia finished in third winning Team Bronze with 1745 points.

50m Running Target Men Junior – Boros claimed Gold with a 10-point advantage.
The 19-year old Czech athlete Lazlo BOROS claimed the 50m Running Target Men Junior Gold medal at the 2009 ISSF Running Target World Championship in Heinola. The junior shooter, a multi-medallist of this Running Target World Championship, finished in the lead with a total score of 587 points, putting ten points between him and his followers.
Finland’s Tomi-Pekka HEIKKILA finished in second securing Silver with a total of 577 points, after outdoing Russia’s Mikhail AZARENKO 19 to 18 points in a shoot-off. The two-time Gold medallist AZARENKO finished in third place, winning Bronze.

The Russian Federation finished on the highest step of the Team Podium, securing Gold with a total of 1725 points. Team Silver went to Finland with 1710 points, while Bronze went to Ukraine (1689 points).

Results:
Check the results of the 2009 ISSF Running Target World Championship.

Two Russian shooters, DOVGAL and AZARENKO, made it to the individual podium, lifting Russia on the Team Podium.

19-year old Russian shooter Yuri DOVGAL won today’s 50m Running Target Mixed Men Junior competition, securing the Gold medal with a total score of 389 points and with four points of advantage on his followers. The young athlete claimed his first individual Gold medal. He had won Silver in this event both at the 2008 and at the 2009 European Championship, winning also several team medals, but he had never won an individual competition, before.

Following in second place, the talented 19-year old Hungarian shooter Laszlo BOROS claimed Silver with 385 points. BOROS had finished in second also at last year’s World Championship in Plzen.

Mikhail AZARENKO of Russia, one of the most titled junior shooter of this World Championship, closed the match in third place, securing Bronze with a total score of 381 points, only one point more then what scored by Finland’s Marten WESTERLUND, fourth with 380 points.

Teams: Russia four points ahead.

Thanks to the excellent performances of DOVGAL, AZARENKO and Alexander NAUMENKO (who place in eighth in the individual competition), the Russian Federation brought back home the Team Gold with a total of 1139 points.

Four points behind, the home team, Finland, placed in second winning the Team Silver thanks to the 1130 points scored by Marten WESTERLUND, Tomi-Pekka HEIKKILA and Sami HEIKKILA.

Ukraine (Igor MATSKEVYCH, Oleg SALAMANKHA and Lev ZAPOTICHNYY) secured Team Bronze with 1084 points.