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The 2008 ISSF World Cup Final in Shotgun events opened in Minsk, Belarus, where the Olympic medallists of Beijing 2008 will face the title defenders and the best shooters of the 2008 season.
The protagonists, the title defenders and the competition schedule.The 2008 ISSF World Cup Final in Shotgun kicks-off in Minsk, Belarus, today. The Olympic medallists of Beijing 2008 and the 2007 title defenders meet here the World Cup masters of the 2008 season, in a battle for the ISSF World Cup Champion title.
The Final is set at the new shooting facility “Sporting Club” of Minsk, the capital of Belarus; the competitions take place from the 26th of September to the 1st of October.

Who qualified for the final
Fifty-eight shooters coming form 18 countries qualified for the 2008 ISSF World Cup Final, 12 athlete for each of the five Olympic events of Shotgun shooting.
Among them, the fifteen Olympic Medallists of Beijing 2008, the title defenders of the 2007 World Cup Final of Belgrade, and the best shooters of the 2008 World Cup season, qualified by points out of four World Cup Stages (held in Kerrville, Beijng, Suhl, Belgrade).

The Olympic Champions
All of the five Olympic Champion of Beijing 2008 will take part in this year’s ISSF World Cup Final. The Olympic Champions will face the Olympic Silver and Bronze medallists, as well as the 2007 World Cup Final title defenders and the top ranked shooters of the 2008 World Cup season.
The pressure is now on Walton ELLER of the USA, the fresh-awarded Double Trap Olympic Champion of Beijing, since Double Trap is going to be the first competition to take place here in Minsk, tomorrow.
Eller’s teammate, the Skeet shooter Vincent HANCOCK, 19-year old (the youngest shotgun Olympic Champion of Beijing) will try to gain the only medal missing from his collection, the World Cup Final Gold. The young shooter, awarded World Champion in 2005 and Pan American Champion in 2005 and 2007 has indeed won everything but a World Cup title.
The spotlight is also pointed on David KOSTELECKY of Czech Republic, the Trap shooting Olympic Champion who amused the crowd of spectators in Beijing with a perfect performance under the rain. He will have to face skilled opponents such as the Olympic Silver and Bronze medallists PELLIELO and ALIPOV, and the title defender FRASCA.
The show will continue at the Skeet Women competition, where the current Olympic Champion Chiara CAINERO of Italy will have to face the USA Olympic multi-medallist Kimberlt RODHE, as well as a number of young and solid shooters trying to grab the prestigious title.
Finland’s Satu MAKELA-NUMMELA has the chance to confirm her great conditions in the Trap Women Event. Coming from a spectacular victory in Beijing, she will struggle against the Olympic Silver and Bronze medallists STEFECEKOVA and COGDELL, of Slovakia and USA respectively.

The Olympic Champions:

The Title defenders
Four out of the five title-holders are waited here in Minsk to defend the titles they gained last year, at the 2007 Final held in Belgrade.
Pressure is doubled on USA’s ELLER. The 26-year old American shooter is the “men to beat” in the double trap event: next to be the current Olympic Champion, he is also a 2007 title-holder.
Cyprus’s Georgios Achilleos, 27, is looking for satisfaction here in Minsk. The Skeet Champion, winner of the 2007 World Cup Final of Belgrade, comes from a difficult Olympic Final round, where he finished out of the podium in spite of being one of the favourites.
The 25-year old Erminio FRASCA is the youngest of the four Italian Trap shooters qualified for this World Cup Final, but in spite of his youth he owns a 2007 World Cup Final Title to defend. Won’t be easy for FRASCA: in Minsk he meets the Olympic Champion KOSTELECKY of Czech Republic and his teammate PELLIELO, the Olympic Silver medallists.
Another Italian Trap shooter, Giulia IANNOTTI, will compete to confirm her title in the Trap Women Event. IANNOTTI, who did not take part in the Olympic Games, has won the last 2008 World Cup Stage held in Belgrade, last June.

The Title Defenders:

The Competition Schedule
The first final to take place is going to be the Double Trap Round, tomorrow at 3.00 PM Minsk time (GMT+3)
Trap Women and Skeet Women finals will follow on Monday the 29th, at 2.30 PM and 3.45 PM, respectively.
The Trap Men and Skeet Men competition are scheduled for Tuesday the 30th, at 2.15 PM and 3.15 PM, respectively.
The ISSF TV will cover the finals live on its website. Please, check the TV schedule logging on www.issf.tv to be updated with the finals time and broadcast schedule.

Find the competition schedule here.