Archerfish.org

The Indian ace shooter beat China’s Hu Binyuan in a breathtaking shoot-off for the Gold medal. While the Indian makes plans for the Olympics, Hu’s nightmare continues: this was his sixth world cup final silver medal within nine years, without a title.

India’s Ronjan Sodhi won today’s Double Trap Men event at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup Final held in Al Ain (UAE) from September the 30^th to October the 7^th.

After scoring 187 targets, he shoot-off China’s Hu Binyuan by 2 to 1 hits in the tiebreaker, securing his second ISSF World Cup title back to back.

The 31-year old Indian shooter arrived here to defend the title he had secured at last year’s ISSF World Cup Final in Izmir (TUR), and centred the goal after a spine chilling medal match.

After entering final match in second place, with a qualification score of 142 hits out of 150 targets, Sodhi climbed up overtaking China’s Hu. But, at the last double, he wasted the one-target advantage he had built up by missing his very last target.

Just an unlucky shot?

“Not exactly. I knew what was going on. I needed to hit that target to win, and I missed it over the excitement.” Sodhi said right after the final.

“Things like that can be fatal: I was thinking too much before the last double. I made such a stupid mistake, but then I was able to get back on focus at the shoot-off, and I made it.” The Indian shooter commented about shooting-off China’s Hu.

“It’s simply great to win two ISSF World Cup Finals back to back.  I have always been doing good in the last three-four seasons, and I am looking forward to the Olympic Games, now.”

Sodhi has never participated in the Olympics. Three years ago, in spite of scoring a World Record just a few weeks before the 2008 Games, he did not make it to the Indian Olympic team going to Beijing. Now, after such a result, he is almost sure he will be competing in London.

“We had a chance to test some targets that could be used at the Olympics, here in Al Ain. But these targets are too hard, you can tell it by looking at the scores: too low.” He commented.

“I would like to dedicate this medal to all the people who supported me, and to thank the government of India: they are investing on me, and I hope I will pay them back when it will be my turn in London.”

China’s Hu  Binyuan secured today’s Silver medal, finishing on the podium with 187+1 hits. After starting the match in first with 144 hits, he scored 43 targets, finishing in second after missing at his first shoot-off double.

The World Cup Final must be Hu’s nightmare: since 2003, he has finished in second six times (four consecutive times between 2006 and 2009), and has never won a Gold medal in this event.

With 185 hits, the Bronze medal went to Russia’s Vitaly Fokeev, a 37-year old world record holder who qualified to participate in this event by winning this year’s ISSF World Cup Stage in Concepcion.

Italy’s 33-year old Marco Innocenti finished in fourth place with 180 (136+44) hits, followed by the 2008 Olympic Champion Walton Eller, fifth with 178 hits, the same score of Great Britain’s Peter Wislon, who closed the match in sixth place.

H.H. Sheik Saeed Almaktoum of Dubai left his opponents three targets behind him, securing his first ISSF World Cup Final title at the age of 35, with a total score of 146 hits out of 150 targets.

The home athlete won today’s Skeet Men Final at the 2011 ISSF Shotgun World Cup Final, raising the United Arab Emirates flag upon the highest step of the podium, for the joy of the local spectators.

H.H. Sheik Saeed Almaktoum, from Dubai (UAE), pocketed indeed the Cup with a total score of 146 hits, leaving his closest opponent three targets behind him.

Walking into the final match with today’s highest qualification score (121 hits out of 125 targets) Almaktoum closed the medal match in the lead by hitting 25 out of 25 targets.

“It has been a tough match, we have to admit that these targets were difficult to break.” The winner said, hugging the cup.

“I have been working a lot on the cartridges, to find out the best combination for this match.” He said. “I work a lot on materials and on developments: I change my shotgun almost every year, I fitted several different stocks, and I went from low-rib to high-rib and vice-versa, before finding the best technical solutions.”

Almaktoum, 35-years old, started competing in Trap 1995, switching then to Skeet. Competing in several ISSF events, he pocketed a Silver medal at the 2001 ISSF World Cup Stage in Seoul, before today’s success on his home court.

“This is not exactly my home ground” Sheik Saeed Almaktoum said after the final “I come from Dubai, and I drove here to Al Ain – one and half hour every day – to train and to prepare for this competition.”

“It’s great to win this title, here in the United Arab Emirates” he added “I have been a bit unlucky in the past, missing some finals by one targets only, and missing some medal chances. Finally, luck turned in my favour!”

Today’s Silver medal went to the 2008 Olympic Silver medallist Tore Brovold of Norway, 41, who finished in second place with a total score of 143 hits. Scoring 118 targets during the qualification, the world record holder hit all the 25 targets in the final, but that was not enough to reach today’s Almaktoum.

“Targets were too hard to break, here. I don’t like these clays, and I had to choose the cartridges back home, before coming here, so I had no chance to adapt to the situation.” Brovold said.

He was followed in third place by the recently-awarded ISSF World Champion, Spain’s Juan Josè Aramburu, from Guipzucia, Pais Basques. Aramburu finished in third place with an overall score of 141 targets, after hitting 118 targets in the qualifications and 23 clays in the final.

“I am a bit tired, at the end of the season.” Aramburu said right after the final. “I competed at the World Championship just a few weeks ago… now I feel I am ready for some rest!”

Cyprus’ top skeet shooter, Georgios Achilleos, finished in fourth place, with 139 (115+24) hits, followed by Norway’s Ole Eilif Undseth (fifth with 139 hits) and by Greece’s Nikolas Mavrommatis, sixth with 137 hits.

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.