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The youngest finalist was thrilled by the last shot. With 3.9 points of advantage, he beat London 2012’s first qualified athlete Nicco Campriani of Italy, and Serbia’s top shooter Nemanja Mirosavljec, who had just changed his prone and standing positions.

One of the youngest finalists, the 22-year old Norwegian shooter Ole Kristian Bryhn, won today’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men event, at the 2011 ISSF Rifle & Pistol World Cup Final taking place in Wroclaw, Poland, from the 18th to the 24th of September.

The young shooter, ranked seventh in the world, made it to the final with 1181 points, and an head start of six points on his closest follower. Shooting consistently right to the last shot, Bryhn secured the World Cup title with an overall score of 1278.5 points (1181 + 97.5 points in the final).

He had never won an ISSF Gold medal before. Starting shooting internationally in 2008, he won two ISSF World Cup Bronze medals, qualifying to participate in this World Cup Final.

“Of course I had quite an interesting advantage on the others as I walked into the final, but I was thinking to what happened in Changwon, this year.” The young Norwegian shooter said, remembering his first participation in an ISSF final match, at this year’s World Cup Stage in Korea. There, he had lost the Silver medal by a few tenths of a point after scoring a frustrating 7.0-point last shot.

“That was my first final, I was shaking a bit more, let’s put it that way. But today I am really satisfied about my shooting.” Added Bryhn.

The Silver medal went to the Italian ace shooter Niccolo “Nicco” Campriani, who finished on the podium with an overall score of 1274.6 points. After making it into the final with 1174 qualification points, he marked 100.6 points during the medal match (today’s second highest final), ending up on the second step of the podium.

“The final match was fine. I lost the Gold at the prone round, during the qualifications. And Bryhn has been shooting great, today.” Said the 23-year old Italian, who is now studying at the West Virginia University (USA), where he is also training.

“I will graduate at the end of the year. But I will try to stay in the US to train in Colorado Spring as a “sparring partner”” Explained Campriani, who became the first athletes of the world among all the sports to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics by winning the first match of the 2010 ISSF World Championship in Munich.

It was Serbia’s Nemanja Mirosavljev who secured today’s Bronze medal, finishing on the podium with an overall score of 1273.5 (1175+98.5) points.

“It hasn’t been easy. Just three weeks ago I changed completely my prone and my standing position.” Nemanja revealed right after the final.

“Why I did that? Because I want to be the best at the Olympic Games, it’s clear!” The Serbian shooter stated, with a smile on his face, while stepping on the podium.

Chiana’s Lang Zing followed them in fourth with 1272.4 (1171+100.4) points, while the Swiss finalist Simon Beyeler ended up in fifth with 1268.7 (1170+98.7) points.

World’s top ranked 50m Rifle 3 Position shooter, Hungary’s Peter Sidi, landed in sixth place in spite of scoring today’s highest final score (101.5 points). Qualified with 1167 points after a difficult kneeling round (379 points), he could not climb the scoreboard further on, and closed the match with a total score of 1268.5 points. Russia’s Artem Khadjibekov and India’s Sanjeev Rajput followed him in seventh and eighth place with 1263.8 and 1263.1 points, respectively.

The Serbian shooter beat Ekimov and Matsuda to finish upon the highest step of the podium. The title defender, USA’s Szarenski closed the match in fourth, 2.9 points far from the podium.

The European Champion Andrija Zlatic of Serbia won the ISSF World Cup Final in the 50m Pistol men event, today, at the Wroclaw shooting range, where the event is held from the 18^th to the 24^th of September.

The 33-year old shooter upset the qualification leader Leonid Ekimov of the Russian Federation to finish upon the highest step of the podium, securing a victory that pushes him up to the highest positions of the world ranking.

Starting the final match in second place with 568 points – one point behind Ekimov – Zlatic scored 99.9 points during the final match to overtake the young Russian champion.

The Serbian winner secured the brightest medal with an overall score of 667.9 points, winning his first ISSF World Cup Final.

Russia’s 24-year old Ekimov finished in second place with 665.9 points. After qualifying for the final match in the lead with 569 points, he scored 96.9 points in the final – with a fatal 8.6-point ninth shot – closing the match in second by two points.

The Bronze medal went to the current number one in the world, the Japanese shooter Tomoyuki Matsuda, winner of two World Championship Gold medals last year, and of three World Cup Golds during this season.

The Japanese marksmen, ranked first in the world and declared “2010 Shooters of the Year” by the sport press, entered into the final match with 561 points, finishing then on the podium with a total of 659.1 points.

He was followed by the title defender, the 2010 ISSF World Cup Final winner Daryl Szarenski of the USA, who closed the match in fourth with 656.2 points. The 2008 Olympic Champion, the Korean ace-shooter Jin Jong Oh, followed him in fifth place with 655.7 points.

Two Italian teammates landed in sixth and eighth place: Giuseppe Giordano placed sixth with 654.1 points, while Francesco Bruno closed the match in eighth with 651.4 points. Between them, the Chinese finalist Wu Xiao, seventh with 651.9 points.

The 2004 Olympic Silver medallist Lenka Maruskova of Czech Republic won today’s 25m Pistol Women final match, securing the 2011 ISSF Cup.

The 26-year old shooter from Plzen led the qualification rounds with 588 points, and then managed her leadership with four good final series, scoring 202.4 points and totalizing 790.4 points. Too far ahead to be reached by her opponents, which were left almost three points behind her.

“This medal counts like and Olympic Gold to me.” Maruskova proudly stated right after the match. She had been finishing in second at last year’s World Cup Final in Munich, and qualified to participate in this year’s edition by winning a Bronze medal at the Munich’s World Cup Stage.

“The shooters competing here have been selected throughout the whole World Cup Series, they are the top shooters, so to win here means to be the number one in the world.  – The Czech shooter added – I can’t say how great I feel!”

“I have a Quota Place, and I feel I am shooting good, I feel I have been shooting good here today. So, the goal for the next year is clearly set: I am going for the Olympic Games.” Continued Lenka, talking about her aims for the 2012 season.

The Silver medal went to Georgia’s 1988 Olympic Champion Nino Salukvadze, the title defender, who had won last year’s ISSF World Cup Final held in Munich.

The 42-year old Georgian shooter passed through the qualification rounds with 582 points, and then in the final she overtook Bulgaria’s Maria Grozdeva by scoring 205.8 points, eventually finishing on the second step of the podium with 787.8 points.

The Bronze medal was won by the 2008 Olympic Champion Chen Ying of China , who closed the match in third with 786.9 (580+206.9) points, after marking an exceptional score in the final.

The two-time Olympic Champion Maria Grozdeva of Bulgaria placed in fourth place with 786.5 (583+203.5) points. Mongolia’s Otryad Gundegmaa followed in fifth place with 783.9 (581+202.9) points.

The reigning World Champion, Russia’s Kira Klimova, landed in sixth place with 782.0 (581+201.0) points, followed by the 2004 Olympic Gold Olena Kostevich of Ukraine and by the Bulgarian finalist Antoaneta Boneva with 779.3 (579+200.3) points.

The title defender – the 2010 World Cup Final Winner Sergei Martynov of Belarus – won today’s 50m Rifle Prone Men event at the ISSF World Cup Final, held in Wroclaw (POL) from the 18th through the 24th of September.

43-year old Martynov – a two-time Olympic bronze and a 24-time world cup medallist – confirmed to be the best Prone shooter of the world, today, by winning with ease a difficult final match.

Qualified with 599 points, Martynov secured the brightest medal by scoring 103.8 points throughout the 10-shot final, always shooting in the tenth ring.

The Belarusian shooter climbed upon on the highest step of the podium with an overall score of 702.8 points, leaving his closest opponent – USA’s Eric Uptagraft – one point behind him.

Nobody has been performing better than Martynov, in the last seasons. The world record holder won indeed the 2010 ISSF World Championship (his second title in a row), becoming the first Belarusian athlete to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London. Then he won last year’s World Cup Final, and ruled the 2011 ISSF World Cup Series by winning the Munich’s stage and by finishing in second at the Sydney’s stage.

Winning today’s Cup, Martynov saved his leadership on the world ranking, and finished atop of the list of the favourites for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, where he will try to secure the only Gold missing from his medal showcase.

Silver medal to Uptagraft, Bronze to the home rookie

Today’s World Cup Final Silver medal went to Eric Uptagraft – the American shooter currently ranked 2nd in the world – who finished in second with a total score of 701.8 points, after qualifying for the final with 599 points and scoring 102.8 points during the medal match. Uptagraft had won the 2005 ISSF World Cup Final in Munich, and finished on the third step of the podium in 2003, in Milan.

The Bronze medal went to the home shooter Sebastian Rabalski, a 20-year athlete who started competing in the frame of the ISSF World Cup this year, in Munich. Qualified to compete in the World Cup Final thanks to a wild card, the young finalist benefitted of the home court advantage, finishing on the podium with 699.4 (596+103.4) points after a great final.

France’s Cyrill Graft (31) closed the match in fourth place with 699.2 (595+104.2) points, followed in fifth by Switzerland’s Marcel Buerge, who ended up with a total score of 699.1 (596+103.1) points.

The Chinese finalist Wang Weiyi eventually placed in sixth with 699.0 (595+104.0) points, preceding Germany’s Henri Junghaenel, seventh with 699.0 (597+102.0) points.

The shooter who marked today’s highest score in the final, Serbia’s Nemanja Mirosavljev, closed the match in eighth and last place, due to a lower qualification score, with a total of 698.4 (594+104.4) points.

The best Rifle and Pistol shooters of the world met in Wroclaw, Poland, to compete in this year’s ISSF World Cup Final. The reigning World Champions, the title defenders and the best eighth World Cup competitions of the year will fight to secure the 2011 ISSF World Cup title starting from tomorrow morning right through the 24th of September.

Eighty-six athletes, coming from thirty-one countries (for a total of 99 starts), are competing in the 2011 Rifle and Pistol World Cup Final, which kicked off today in Wroclaw, Poland.

The event, with the first medal matches starting tomorrow, is the conclusive act of the 2011 ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup Series, which travelled from Sydney (AUS) to Changwon (KOR), passing through Fort Benning (USA) before landing in Munich (GER) where the last Rifle and Pistol Stage was conducted last June.

“The best shooters of the world are competing here for the 2011 ISSF World Cup Title. I am sure that the Organizers will provide the best possible conditions for this event.” The ISSF Secretary General – Mr. Franz Schreiber – said while declaring the Final officially opened, at today’s Opening Ceremony.

“We are happy to have you here on the recurrence of the 90^th anniversary of the Polish shooting federation.” The President of the Polish shooting Federation, Mr. Tomasz Kwiecien said at the Opening Ceremony “We would like to thank the ISSF for entrusting us with the organization of this important competition.”

More than 2400 athletes participated in this year’s ISSF World Cup Series, and 96 Olympic Quota Places – the entrance tickets to the 2012 London Olympics – were distributed since March.

Only the best made it through and arrived to compete here in Wroclaw: the top eighth World Cup competitors of the year (qualified through a points system), the reigning world champions and the 2010 World Cup title defenders are eligible to participate in the competition, upon invitation of the organizers.

The first three medal matches, the 50m Rifle Prone Men, the 50m Pistol Men and the 25m Pistol Women finals will take place tomorrow, starting from 12.00 (GMT+1). Follow the event on www.issf-sports.org!

Schedule of the 2011 ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup Final: http://www.issf-sports.org/calendar/championship_schedule.ashx?cshipid=1183

Qualified athletes: http://www.issf-sports.org/results/wcf_qualification/portraits_riflepistol.ashx