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The ISSF in conjunction with the ISSF Training Academy is pleased to announce the development of the Coach Profile database.

The Coach Profile database is designed to provide coaches a place where their contact details and their coaching profile can be made available through the ISSF website to fellow coaches, federations and shooters. This is an important step in recognizing the importance of the ISSF coaching community to the development of the shooting sports.

The ISSF Coach Profile database can be found under the Coaching Platform under http://www.issf-sports.org/development/coachingplatform/issfcoaches.ashx.

Coaches can register on the site under ‘Register now’. Registering for the Coaches database will also provide coaches with access to the new Coaches Discussion Forum upon its launch.

USA’s two-time Olympic Champion Kimberly Rhode won today’s Skeet Women final at the 2011 ISSF Shotgun World Cup Final in Al Ain, UAE, rising up the ISSF Cup after an intense competition.

Shooting in tough conditions, with more than 40° C degrees (105° F), the 32-year old American champion Kim Rhode secured the brightest medal with an overall score of 93 hits.

After making it in the medal match with a qualification score of 69 hits, in third place, Rhode climbed up the scoreboard to the lead by hitting 24 targets during the final. More than anybody else.

“I am used to shoot in these conditions.” Rhode said.

“I usually train in LA, so the temperature did not scare me. But it has been a tough final anyway.”

“It’s great to close the season in this way. I will take some time off for some vacation, after all this travelling.” The American winner added.

“I still don’t know exactly in which competitions I will compete next year. I will be at the pre-Olympic test World Cup in London, that’s sure.”

Rhode, a four-time Olympic medallist and eight-time World Cup medallist, had never won an ISSF World Cup Final, before, although she had been closed to the highest step of the podium in Izmir, last year, as she had closed the match in second.

The Silver medal went to Slovakia’s world record holder Danka Bartekova. The 26-year old shooter walked into the final with today’s highest qualification score, 70 hits, scoring then 22 targets throughout the medal match.

“It has been tough!” The Slovakian shooter said, pocketing her second ISSF World Cup Final Silver five years after her first medal, at the 2006 World Cup Final in Granada. She had finished on the podium also last year, in Izmir, where she had placed in third right behind Rhode.

Today, she was followed in third by the Chinese finalist Zang Dongliang, a 28-year old shooter participating in her first ISSF World Cup Final. Zhang, who had qualified to participate in this event by winning this year’s ISSF World Cup Stage in Maribor, secured the Bronze medal with 91 hits (70+21).

The current Olympic Champion, the left handed Italian shooter Chiara Cainero, closed the match in fourth with 90 hits, after scoring 23 targets during the final. She was followed by China’s 1992 Olympic Champion Zhang Shan and by Russia’s Svetlana Demina, fifth and sixth with 89 and 88 hits, respectively.

The best shotgun shooters of the world met in Al Ain for the last match of the year: who will rise up the five ISSF Cups?

The 2011 ISSF Shotgun World Cup Final officially kicked-off in Al Ain (UAE), today.

The ISSF President, Mr. Olegario Vazquez Raña, welcomed the top class shotgun shooters of the world, who will compete at the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club from the 30th of September through the 7th of October.

Only the bests are eligible to participate in this match: the reigning World Champions, the 2010 title defenders and the top-8 2011 World Cup performers, selected throughout this year’s four ISSF World Cup Stages in Conception (CHI), Sydney (AUS), Beijing (CHN) and Maribor (SLO).

Five ISSF Cups, are to be assigned in the five Olympic events of Skeet, Trap  (Men and Women) and Double Trap Men. Fifty-nine competitors, coming from twenty-four countries, will try to secure them, on the layouts Al Ain’s shooting ground.

The Patron of the event, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club, officially declared open the competition, exchanging then a present in sign of mutual recognition with the ISSF President Olegario Vazquez Raña.

The competitors were also saluted by the UAE’s Ruler’s representative for the Eastern Region, H.H. Sheik Tahnoon bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, who participated in the opening ceremony and also joined the dancers during the traditional UAE folklore show.

H.E. Mohammed Rashid Al Nasseri, the President of the Organizing Committee, also welcomed the shooters, thanking the ISSF and local authorities that joined the opening ceremony.

“We thank you all for hosting us here, in this beautiful country. It’s with great pleasure that we open this ISSF World Cup Final held here in Al Ain.” The ISSF President, Mr. Olegario Vazuquez Raña said at the opening ceremony, also saluting the four ISSF Vice-Presidents present at the ceremony, Mr. Medhat Wadhan (Technical Delegate for this competition), H.H. Sheik Salman Al Sabah (President of the Asian Shooting Sport Confederation), Mr. Luciano Rossi and Mr. Gary Anderson.

“The best shooters of the world are competing here in Al Ain. I wish you all good luck, and a successful competition!” The ISSF President said.

The ISSF Secretary General Schreiber thanked the participants for their excellent results. Rifle and Pistol shooters will meet again next year, at the Pre-Olympic World Cup in London

The 10m Air Rifle Women event closed the 2011 ISSF World Cup Finals in Rifle and Pistol events, held in Wroclaw, Poland, from the 18^th to the 24^th of September.

Only the bests were eligible to participate in this competition: the reigning World Champions, the World Cup Final title defenders, and the eight top performers selected throughout this year’s four ISSF World Cup Stages in Sydney, Changwon, Fort Benning and Munich.

The People’s Republic of China and Germany finished atop of the Medal Standings, with two Gold medals, two Silver and one Bronze medals each. Russia followed in third, with one Gold and two Silver medals.

“We have to thank all the participants, all these great shooters, who competed here” The ISSF Secretary General – Mr. Franz Schreiber – said at the Closing ceremony, today.

“Excellent results were reached, and a new Final World Record was scored. We have a new great record in the 10m Air Rifle Men event, thanks to China’s Zhu Qinan.”  The Secretary General highlighted “This has been a top level Rifle and Pistol Competition, and we also have to thank the SIUS ASCOR company, who sponsored today’s Champions Trophy.”

The ISSF World Cup Final concluded this year’s World Cup Series. The Rifle and Pistol shooters will met again next year, on the 17^th of April, when the Pre-Olympic ISSF World Cup in all events in London will kick-off on the ranges of the 2012 Olympics.

The medal standings:

“I’ve got the Olympics in my sights, then I would like to have a second baby” said the winner, who equalled two World Record to win her third consecutive title. China’s Olympic hope Wei Ning won the shoot-off for Silver, leaving Bronze to USA’s Rhode.

The 2008 Olympic Bronze medallist, Germany’s Christine Wenzel won her third World Title at today’s Skeet Women Final at the 2011 ISSF Shotgun World Championship held in Belgrade, Serbia, from the 3rd to the 14th of September.

The 30-year old German shooter had won the 2007 and the 2009 World Championship editions held in Nicosia and Maribor. Since she did not participate in the 2010 World Champ in Munich, today’s was her third consecutive victory out of three participations.

“No secrets!” She said after today’s final. “I am training hard and I have the best possible coach: my husband Tino.”

“We will go at the next Games together: he just won an Olympic quota at the last European Championship held here in Belgrade, a few weeks ago.” Said Wenzel.

As it had happened in Nicosia four years ago, Wenzel finished on the highest step of the podium by equalling the current Final World Record: 98 hits.

Passing through the qualification with an almost perfect score of 74 hits (an equalled world record), she made it into the final in first place. Then, she hit 24 out of 25 targets in the final, landing on the highest step of the podium with one target of advantage on her followers.

“I missed in the double, at the fifth station. I wasted too much time on the first target, and when I tried to find the second one it was too late…” Christine said.

“Last year I did not participate in the World Championship in Munich as I was pregnant.” Explained the German champion, who then told us about her plans for the next future: “We are planning to have another baby after the Olympic Games. I will try hard to win a medal there, and then I will take some time off to fulfil my family dreams.”

CHINA Vs. USA: SHOOT-OFF FOR SILVER

China’s 2003 World Champion Wei Ning (29) and USA’s two-time Olympic Champ Kimberly Rhode (32) tied in second place with a total score of 97 hits, and met in a shoot-off to decide the Silver and the Bronze.

It was the fourth shoot-off pair to decide the podium placements, as Rhode missed her eighth target, placing in third with 97+7 hits, and leaving the Silver medal to Wei with 97+8 hits.

Following them, Cyprus’ Andri Eleftheriou finished in fourth place. After tying the current World Record of 74 hits out of 75 targets during the qualifications, the 27-year old shooter missed three targets in the final, closing with a total score of 96 hits. Thailand’s Sutiya Jiewchaloemmit (25) placed in fifth with 95 (72+23) hits, the same score of Italy’s Katiuscia Spada (29), today’s sixth.

TEAMS: CHINA ON THE TOP OF THE WORLD

The Chinese team led by the 2004 Olympic Silver medallist Wei Ning (Wei Ning, Zhang Shan and Zhang Donglian) finished atop of the Skeet Women teams’ ranking, with an overall score of 216 hits, setting a new World Record which shattered the previous 214-hit record (scored by the same team in 2007).

The teams’ Silver went to Italy, thanks to the finalist Katiuscia Spada, the 2008 Olympic Champion Chiara Cainero and their teammate Simona Scocchetti, who hit an overall total of 211 clays.

The Bronze medal went to the Slovakian athletes Danka Bartekova, Andrea Stranovska and Minka Zemkova, third with 208 hits.