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Guatemala’s team celebrated as laud and joyful as possible, at the Youth Olympic Shooting Range, as Geraldine Kate Solorzano Manson, 16, won the 10m Air Rifle Women Bronze medal, Guatemala’s first Olympic medal ever.

Who would have ever said that a piece of Guatemala’s history was going to be written as far as at the Sport School of Singapore, 10000 km far from the pacific shores of the Central American country?

Probably nobody.

But this is what happened today, as the 16-year old shooter Geraldine Kate Solorzano Manson won the 10m Air Rifle Women Bronze medal, the first Olympic medal ever won by Guatemala since it’s first participation in Olympic competitions, in 1952.

“This is an historical result for Guatemala!” commented the President of the Guatemalan National Olympic Committee, Gen. Segio Arnoldo Camargo Muralles, right after the match.

“We had been close to an Olympic medal many times, in 2004 and in 2008, but we never made it” continued Gen. Camargo Muralles “But finally the bad luck is over, thanks to this young girl!”

Geraldine Kate Solorzano Manson did everything she could to bring the medal back to Guatemala City. Qualified for the medal match with 374 points, she climbed in third place, fighting right to the last shot and further more against the Chinese shooter Fang Xue, and eventually finishing in third place with a total score of 471.5 points.

Guatemala first participated in the Olympics at 1952 Games in Oslo, and then competed in all Summer Olympic Games since 1968 and in one winter Olympics in 1988. In spite of several excellent placements, the American country had never won a medal in an Olympic event so far.

“This is an exceptional result our Guatemalan friends, and for the American Continent. It has been an exciting final, the match has been open right to the last shot!” said the ISSF President Olegario Vazquez Raña, hugging the medallist after the award ceremony “The Youth Olympic Games are proving to be an outstanding sport events, and an incredible chance for our young athletes.”

“Congratulation to Guatemala. And congratulation to all the participants: they are proving to be real sportsmen!” concluded the ISSF President.

Korea’s Kim won the 10m Air Pistol Women final with an outstanding advantage of 7.7 points on her followers. Fang won the second shooting medal for China, while Solorzano secured Guatemala’s first Olympic medal.

Korea’s Kim Jang Mi claimed the first Youth Olympic Gold medal awarded to ladies in shooting events with a total score of 479.2 (378+101.2) points after an outstanding final match.

The 17-year old Korean shooter passed through the qualification rounds with a score of 378 points, making it into the final in the lead. Then, shooting solidly throughout the 10-shot medal match, she landed on the highest step of the podium and was awarded her first international Gold medal.

“Sometimes it’s difficult to keep up with the school, my homework and the trainings, but it pays off! This medal is an injection of motivation for the future!” Kim said after the award ceremony.

“I picked up an Air Rifle, when I first started shooting, a few years ago… but then I tried the Air Pistol: it makes more fun! So I changed to this event, and these are the results!” she continued, “I had won a medal at the 2009 Asian Championship in Doha, but I would never expect to win today’s match!”

“My next Gold is to grab a qualification spot for the 2012 Olympics…. I am dreaming about it! I have seen the Korean Pistol Olympic Champion Jin Jong Oh once… I’d like to train with him, sometimes!” concluded Kim.

Almost eight points behind Kim, China’s Fang and Guatemala’s Solorzano fought till the last shot, and further more, to secure the Silver medal.

The two shooters had a chance to catch the Korean leader, but after the fifth final shot they both fired a series of disappointing shots in the eighth ring, dropping down in the placement.

The duel for the second step of the podium eventually finished in a tied score of 471.5 points, and it was a shoot-off (a single shot tiebreaker) to decide the final placements.

Shooting first, China’s Fang Xue marked an unbeatable 10.8 shot, securing the Silver and leaving the Bronze to Guatemala’s Kate Geraldine Solorzano with a 10.1.

The Guatemalan team celebrated as loud and joyful as possible: Solorzano’s is indeed the first medal ever won by Guatemala in an Olympic event since its first participation in the Games.

Canada’s Danielle Marcotte finished in fourth place, just 6 tenths of a point far from the podium with a total score of 470.9 (374+96.9) points. The 17 year old shooter was ranked third as she fired a great 10.8 on her seventh competition shot, but then dropped down in the scoreboard with a frustrating 8.6 “After shooting that 10.8 I felt extremely nervous. The crowd, the people… I was shaking a little bit!” she confessed after the match.

She was followed by Russia’s Ekaterina Barsukova, 18, who had started in third place with 376 points and eventually landed in fifth with 468.5 points. India’s Ruchi Singh, Italy’s Chiara Marini (17) and Switzerland’s Eliane Dohner (18), the last three finalists, closed the match in sixth, seventh and eighth place, respectively.

Two protagonists of the 2009 Asian Championship are enlisted between the favourites to climb upon tomorrow’s 10m Air Pistol Women podium. Young athletes comoing from the other four continents are ready to steal the show.

Time for training, this afternoon, at the Singapore Sports School, where the 10m Air Pistol Women event, the second shooting competition of the Youth Olympic Games, will take place tomorrow at 12.00 AM.

Twenty shooters from all the five continents are going to compete in tomorrow’s match, trying to secure the first women YOG medal in shooting events.

Starting with the qualification series at 9 AM, the top 8 competitors will proceed to the ten-shot medal match at 12, when their final scores will be added to the qualification scores to decide the podium placements.

Starting between the favourites: China’s Fang Xue the Silver medal winner of the 2009 Asian Championships of Doha. The Chinese teenager has been gaining confidence throughout the 2010 ISSF shooting season, competing in the ISSF World Cup Series again older athletes in the open category.

Xue will meet again Kim Jang Mi, a skilled Korean shooter who had finished in third place behind her at the last Asian Championship, in Doha, and that has proved to be a competitive finalist more then once, in the last two seasons.

A 17-year old shooter form Italy, Chiara Marini, will try to steal the show to the Asian contenders. The Italian athlete, the top-ranked shooter among tomorrow’s European participants, comes from a seventh place at the last 2010 European Championship in Meraker, and a fair placement in the top-40 at the 2010 ISSF World Championship in all shooting events of Munich.

Hala Abdel Rahman of Egypt, the top competitor of the 2010 African YOG qualification championship, Mariana Nava of Mexico, qualified through the 2010 Confederation of the Americas Championship and Australia’s Emily Esposito (qualified in 2009 through the Oceania Championship) will try to surprise the audience and to find a spot on the first ladies’ shooting podium of the Youth Olympic Games.

In spite of a disappointing first shot, the 17-year old talent climbed back in the lead to win the first YOG shooting medal, and to dedicate it to his parents.

Gao Ting Jie of China won the first Youth Olympic Gold awarded to shooting, claiming the brightest medal at the 10m Air Rifle Junior Men event with a total score of 694.9 (594+100.9) points.

Qualified in the lead with 594 points, the 17-year old shooter lost ground with a frustrating first shot of 8.9 points, and had to fight right to the last shot to finish atop of the scoreboard and to win his first international Gold medal ever.

Shooting neck and neck with the Belarusian champion Illioa Charheika (who had qualified in second with 593 points), Gao found his winning ace on the last shot, as he fired an great 10.5 that lifted him up to the highest step of the podium.

“I cannot wait to celebrate this medal with my family. I don’t see them since five months, as I have been training and preparing for this match!” said the 17-year old Chinese shooter.

“I am really happy about today’s competition. I have to thank my coach, Wanf Yify, and his words of wisdom. I was so nervous, before the match, but he helped me to calm down and to focus on the target!” continued Gao

“I will try to qualify for the 2012 Games, now – added the young winner, who won an ISSF World Cup Silver medal in the open event in Belgrade this year – The first test? The next Asian Games. I will try to beat  my teammate Zhu Qinan (the 2004 Olympic Champion) to make it to the team!”

Gao’s coach, the 1992 and 2004 Olympic Champion Wang Yifu, also remembered for winning a Silver medal in the 10m Air Pistol Men event at the 1996 Games in spite of fainting during the final round, hardly contained his joy.

“The Youth Olympic Games is an exciting formula. It’s a great chance for our young athletes, and a great show for the youth of the world. This is a great way to promote the sport!” Wang said.

“I am just sorry that they invented the Youth Olympic Games only now – continued a 49-year old smiling Wang Yifu – I would definitely win the Youth title, if the YOG were existing in my days!”

Today’s Silver medal went to Belarus’ Illia Charheika, 17-year old, the 2010 Junior European Champion. The young shooter, who had already met Gao during this year’s ISSF World Cup Stage in Belgrade, finishing then in 11^th place, did not make it by 0.8 points, less then 8 millimetres on a 10m Air Rifle targtet.

Charheika ended up with a total score of 694.1 (593+101.1) points, after firing a disappointing last shot of 9.4 points.

“I am on the podium of the Youth Olympic Games! – exclaimed the shooter, wearing the Silver – I would never imagine it, when I started shooting at the age of 11 year!”

“I am after an Olympic Qualification for London 2012, now!” continued Charheika “I will take part in next year’s ISSF World Cup series, trying to secure an Olympic Quota Place.”

Bronze went to one of the favourites, Ukraine’s Serhiy Kulish, the 17-year old athlete who had finished in the spotlights by claiming two Junior medals (a Silver and a Bronze) at the 2010 ISSF World Championship in Munich, last July. Kulish finished in third place with a total score of 692.8 (591+101.8) points, climbing on the third step of the podium 1.3 points far form the Silver medallist Charheika.

Korea’s Kin Yong fired today’s highest final score, 102.6 points, but that was not enough to grab a medal. The Korean shooter had started the match with a qualification score of 590 points, and his total score of 692.6 points placed him in fifth.

Following him, Germany’s Alexander Thomas closed in fifth place with 690.3 (588+102.3) points, while the Mexican finalist Erick Arzate Marchan ended up in sixth with (587+101.4) points.

The Italian finalist Simon Weithaler, who has started the match in fourth place and climbed in third place after the first final shot, suffered the pressure of the round, shooting more than once in the ninth ring, and eventually dropping down in seventh place.

“Shooting is all about mind and mental concentration. I did not make it. But still I am satisfied about my overall result. To be in an Olympic final is a good starting point!” the Italian athlete said, looking at his final score: 687.8 (590+97.8) points.

India’s Navdeep Singh Rathore, who had squeezed into the final round with the lower qualification score of 587 points, closed the match in eighth and last place, with a total score of 685.5 points, after scoring 98.5 points throughout the final.

Check the complete results on the YOG website!

Less then 24 hours to go to the first rifle shot of the first Youth Olympic Games. Nervous, nail-bitten fingers have been triggering all day, training on the new shooting lines of the Singapore Sports School, where the first shooting competition will take place tomorrow morning at 9 AM.

Rifles have been tested. Air cylinders filled and emptied again. Targets were checked, and equipments controlled. All is ready, at the Singapore Sports School, for the debut of the Shooting Sport at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games!

The 10m Air Rifle Junior Men event, taking place tomorrow morning, will be the first shooting match of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games. Twenty shooters,aging 17 and 18 years will compete, pursuing their Olympic Dream on the lines of the newly constructed range of the Sports School.

The match will start at 9.00 AM and, after sixty qualification shots, the best eight athletes will proceed to the 10-shot final round, the pathway to the podium.

Ukraine’s Serhiy Kulish, is probably one of the most experienced shooters among those competing tomorrow. The 17-year old athlete, who has been participating in international junior events since 2008, finished in the spotlights by claiming two Junior medals (a Silver and a Bronze) at the ISSF World Championship in Munich, last July.

Belarus’ Illia Charheika is also enlisted between the favourites. The 17-year old shooters made it into the Youth Olympic Games by becoming the 2010 European Junior Champion, but he also finished between the firsts at the 2010 ISSF World Cup in Belgrade, when he closed the 10m Air Rifle Men event in 11^th place competing against older champions in the open category.

Asian shooters such as Gao Ting Jie (CHN) and Kim Yong (KOR) will attempt to stop the European athletes from sweeping all the medals. Gao was the runner-up in the event at the Asian Championships in Doha in December 2009, and Kim said that claiming a gold medal, in his pet event, is his clear-cut goal at the Youth Olympic Games.

The only African shooter in the event, Egyptian Hossam Helmy, is poised to cause an upset. The Egyptian ruled the African Youth Qualification Championships in Algeria, last March, , and has shown consistency during practice sessions since he arrived in Singapore.

The results of the match, starting at 9 AM Singapore Time, will be posted on the YOG results page