Who has won the most number of World Championships medals? It is not easy to answer, but could be interesting to take a look to the ISSF statistics about it. As the 2009 ISSF Shotgun World Championships of Maribor is coming closer, we tried to give a deeper look in the ISSF archive to pick out the most winning shooters of every times. We are dealing with nations and athletes, multi medal winners in the history of the ISSF Shotgun World Championships.
The Nations Ranking: Italy is unreachable in Shotgun.
The Italian has always been one of the strongest Shotgun team, but looking at the ISSF Statistic we found out that it is not only the first in the ranking, but also by far unreachable in the overall medal count of the ISSF World Championships. Between 1939 and 2007, Italy has won the impressive number of 181 World Championships medals, with 76 Golds, 47 Silvers and 58 Bronze.
The United States of America are the closest nation. The American team places in the second in the overall medal standings, having won a total of 146 medals between 1930 and 2007. The States are ranking about 30 medals behind Italy, with 46 Gold medals, 57 Silver and 43 Bronzes. In the “all-times” medals count, the no longer existing Soviet Union would place in third, with a total of 108 medals. More interesting is to notice that The People’s Republic of China is coming closer to the “top-3”. The Chinese team has won a total of “only” 83 medals (30 Golds, 30 Silvers and 23 Bronzes”). But it has started winning by far later then the others. While Italy and the USA won their first World Championships medals in the 30’s, China won its first WCH award in 1981. Considering the limited time, China is the fastest growing country in Shotgun events. It’s also interesting to notice how the Chinese Women shooters contributed for more then the 90% of the medals won by their team (71 out of 83 medals).
Individual Women events: Nattrass solidly in first
The Canadian Shotgun Champion Susan Nattrass solidly holds the lead in the overall World Championships medal standings with a breathtaking total number of 14 medals, 7 Golds, 4 Silvers and 3 Bronzes. Nobody else, men or women, has won more then the six times Olympian Nattrass within the frame of the ISSF World Championships in Shotgun events. The Canadian Trap shooter has been one of the main protagonists of our sport through the last thirty years, as she has been winning 14 medals through 1971 and 2006 (she won her last title at the 49th ISSF World Championships in all events of Zagreb).
The closest active shooter in the Women’s ranking is Svetlana Demina of Russia, on the podium of this year’s ISSF World Cup Series. Demina, 48-year old, is ranked in third position, with a total of 8 World Championships medals (4 Golds, 1 Silver and 3 Bronzes). The Russian shooter, who has been shooting medals in Double Trap and Skeet Women events, has won her titles between 1979 and 1999. Even if she will run for a title at the 2009 World Championships of Maribor, she could not reach Nattrass, leading with three Gold medals of advantage. Between the active shooters that will probably take part in the next World Championships of Maribor, we should follow the Italian Trap shooter Deborah Gelisio, currently ranked in fifth with 4 Golds and one Silver medal. If she would shot a Gold medal in Maribor, she will move up in second place in the overall rankings.
Individual Men events: Diamond reigns in the lead
Michael Diamond, the Australian Trap and Double trap shooter, an Olympic multi-medallist, is reigning in the lead of the individual Men rankings in shotgun. Nobody else has won as much as he did in Shotgun World Championships competitions between 1991 and 2007. Diamond is leading with an impressive number of 7 medals, 4 Gold and 3 Silver medals. He is leading alone in the Men rankings, and nobody will have a chance to overtake him at the next World Championships of Maribor. The shooters who follow him in the “all-time” World Championships medal standings are Michel Carrega and Jury Tsuranov, not active anymore.
Coming in fifth position, the Italian shooter Giovanni Pellielo, competing in Trap, would have a chance to reach Diamond in the “top-3”, if he would win a Gold in Maribor. So far, between 1993 and 2003, Pellielo has won 3 World Championships Golds, two Silvers and one Bronze medal.
Coming in next, the Skeet shooter Abdullah Alrashidi of Kuwait and the Double Trap expert Russell Mark of Australia may enter in the “top-5” by shooting a Gold medal at the next World Championships of Maribor. Alrashidi is currently ranked in seventh, with 3 Gold medals, and Mark in ninth, with 2 Gold and 2 Silver medals.
Juniors: growing champions
ISSF World Championships means spaces for Juniors, who have here a unique chance to compete within them on a world level. The 2009 ISSF World Championships will make no exceptions, and surely we will meet there some young and talented shooters who will become the Champions of tomorrow.
Looking at the statistics of the past World Championships, we notice how Italy is once again in the lead in the overall Shotgun World Championships medal count. Considering Junior Men and Junior Women World Championships medals, Italy is indeed in first with a total of 66 medals, 32 Golds, 18 Silvers and 16 Bronzes won between 1989 and 2007. The United States of America follow in second place, ranking not so far with 61 medals. The USA may have a chance to reach Italy atop of the ranking already at the next World Championships of Maribor. It will be difficult, but the USA achieved more then once “impossible results”.
“You can meet the Champions of the tomorrow at the World Championships”. We heard this sentence many times, and the statistic about Junior World Championships multi-medallists proved it to be true. Take a look to the “top-5” of the Junior multi-medallists ranking… can’t you recognize the names of World Champions, Olympic medallists and World Cup podium winners?
