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China’s 2007 World Champ Liu Yingzi secured the Gold medal by beating the 2010 and 2002 World Champions Stefecekova (SVK) and Tkach (RUS).

China’s 40-year old Liu Yingzi won today’s Trap Women final at the 2011 ISSF Shotgun World Championship, held in Belgrade from the 3rd through the 14th of September.

The Chinese shooter, a 2007 World Champion currently ranked fifth in the world, made it to the final round with a qualification score of 72 hits, after winning a seven-way shoot-off with 3 hits.

After starting with two zeros on her second and third targets, Liu did not drop any other clay, and cleared the final round with 23 hits. With a total score of 95 targets, the athlete from Chang Sha secured the World’s brightest medal for the second time in her career (she had won her first title at the 2007 World Championship in Nicosia, Cyprus).

The Chinese athlete will now compete at the ISSF World Cup Final, which will kick-off in Al Ain (UAE) on the 31st of September. There, she will try to defend the World Cup Title she won last year, at the 2010 ISSF World Cup Final in Izmir.

Climbing up to the highest step of the podium, Liu left the so-far reigning World Champion Zuzana Stefecekova three targets behind her.

The 27-year old Slovakian champion had started the final match tied to Liu, with a qualification score of 72 hits. But then, as the light started changing during the final, she dropped five targets, ending up in second with a total score of 92 hits.

Following her, it was Russia’s Elena Tkach, the 2002 World Champion, who secured the Bronze medal with a totals score of 89 hits. The 41-year old Russian shooter scored 19 targets during the final, after being qualified in first with 73 hits.

The Olympic Quota Place to be assigned here went to India’s Shagun Chowdhary, a 28-year old first time finalist. The young athlete, ranked 21st in the world, made it to the final round with 72 hits, and pocketed the entrance ticket to the Games by finishing in fourth with a total score of 89 hits. She was followed by Australia’s Catherine Skinner, who scored 89 targets as well and lost the Quota due to the “Count Back” rule: who misses first, ranks worst. USA’s Olympic Bronze medallist, Corey Cogdell, closed the match in sixth place with 88 (72+16) hits.

RUSSIA LED THE TEAMS’ RANKING

Elena Tkach’s Russia (Tkach, Irina Laricheva and Tatiana Barsuk) won the team Gold medal with an overall score of 213 hits, setting a new World Record which shattered the previous 211-record scored by Italy at the 2009 World Championship. The three Russian teammates shared their new record with France (Marina Sauzet, Delphine Racinet, Stephanie Neau), as they scored 213 targets as well. The Teams’ Bronze medal went to the People’s Republic of China. The team led by Liu (Liu Ingzi, Gao E and Wu Cuicui) totalized 211 targets.

By equalling two individual World Records, and setting a new team World Record, the Italian shooter secured his second World Championship title. Olympic Champ Kostelecky finished in Second. Olympic Quota to France. Great Britain’s made it to the teams’ podium.

Italy’s Massimo Fabbrizi became the new Trap Men World Champion, today, at the 2011 ISSF Shotgun World Championship in Belgrade, Serbia, with a total score of 149 hits.

“I still can’t believe I made it. I did not check the scoreboard; I did not pay attention to my opponents. I was just focusing on my targets, and after I hit the 23rd clay I knew I had become the new World Champion. It feels great!” The Italian shooter said right after the final, hugging his coach Albano Pera.

Fabbrizi turned out to be unbeatable since the qualification rounds. The 34-year old Italian champion hit 125 targets out of 125, equalling the current World Record. A great score that placed him in first in the final round, where he hit 24 out of 25 targets to win the World Champion title with an overall score of 149 hits: another Equalled World Record.

“To hit 24 targets using one barrel only, it’s a great result for me. And to shoot two records in one match is extreme!” Massimo commented after his last shot.

“I only missed one in the final, I shot below it. I don’t know why it happened, and sincerely speaking I don’t care about it. I won the match, that’s the only important thing!” He said about missing his fifth final clay.

Fabbrizi is not new to the golden feeling of a world championship victory: the Italian shooter from Monteprandone had indeed already won an ISSF Shotgun World Championship in 2005, shooting on his home court layouts of Lonato (Italy).

“Compared to my previous victory, I have been working harder this time. I had to train more, and put more efforts in it, to finish in first here in Belgrade.”

“I dedicate this medal to my family, to the Italian Federation and to the Amra dei Carabinieri, who have been supporting me so much.” Said Fabbrizi, who will be competing at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup Final in Al Ain (UAE), the last match of the year, starting on the 30th of September. “I will have to postpone my holidays!” He concluded with a smile on his face.

OLYMPIC CHAMPION KOSTELECKY SECURES SILVER

The Silver medal went to the Olympic Champion Davi Kostelecky of Czech Republic, who finished in second place with an overall score of 146 hits. After making it into the final round with a qualification score of 122 hits passing through a shoot-off, the 36-year old Czech champion hit 24 targets straight in the final, dropping just the very last clay. Kostelecky had won a Silver medal on the same layout just a few weeks ago, during the European Championship held here in Belgrade.

BRONZE AND OLYMPIC QUOTA TO FRANCE

One target behind Kostelecky, the Bronze medal went to France’s Stephane Clamens, who also secure the Olympic Quota Place to be assigned today. The 40-year old athlete, ranked 58th in the world, surprised everybody by making it into the final (his first time in a World Championship) with 122 hits, and then scored 23 clays in the final, ending up with a total score of 145 hits. The Quota Place opens to him the doors of his fourth Olympic participation: Clemens has indeed participated in all the Olympic editions since Sydney 2000.

Two other Italians, the three-time Olympic medallist Giovanni “Johnny” Pellielo and the World Cup multi-medallist Rodolfo Viganò participated in the final match, finishing in fourth and sixth place with 144 and 142 hits, respectively. Poland’s Jaromir Wojtasiewicz, a first time finalist, closed the match between them, in fifth, with 144 total hits.

TEAMS: Italy scores a new World Record

The excellent performance of the three Italian shooters lifted Italy atop of the teams’s podium, with a new record score of 369 targets (New World Record). Czech Republic followed in second, with 362 points scored by Kostelecky, Jiri Gach and Jiri Liptak, while the teams’ Bronze went to Great Britain’s with Aaron Heading, Edward Ling and Carl Exton scoring 359 targets.

NEXT MEDAL MATCH: Trap Women

The next medal matches, the Trap Women Final, will take place on Thursday the 8th at 17.30 (GMT+1)

The son of the three-time Skeet World Champion Abdullah Alrashidi finished on the highest step of the Trap Men Junior podium with a total score of 122 hits out of 125 targets.

1993’s Kuwaiti shooter Talal Alrashidi became the new Trap Men Junior World Champion, today, winning the event on the layouts of the Kovilovo Shooting Range of Belgrade, Serbia, where the 2011 ISSF Shotgun World Championship is held from the 3rd to the 14th of September.

Alrashidi, who dedicated the medal to the Sheik of Kuwait and to his country, finished atop of the rankings with a total score of 122 hits out of 125 targets, leaving his closest opponent, New Zealand’s Allan Jack Norwood, one target behind him.

“This is a dream which finally comes true!” Alrashidi said right after the match, celebrating with his team.

“I have been training for three years, five to six times per week, to get to this point”

“I have been loving Trap shooting since the first try. I never thought about shooting anything else then Trap.”

The young champion had a special coach: his father, the three-time World Champion, and four-time Olympian Skeet shooter Abdullah Alrashidi, competing here in Belgrade as well.

“This is one of the best things of my life, I am still shaking” Abdullah said.

“I have introduced my son to shooting sport, and I really wanted him to win this competition.” The 48-year old Champion admitted.

“This was his last chance, as Junior shooter, and he made it. I could not be more happy.” Concluded the proud father, who will be competing in the Skeet event starting from Monday the 12th.

The Silver medal went to New Zealand’s Allan Jack Norwood, 19-year old, second with 121 hits out of 125 targets. He had placed 12 at the last World Championship in Munich, last year.

Behind them, the Bronze was assigned through a four way shoot-off, won by with Maksim Smikov of Russia, who finished on the podium with 120+5 hits, shooting-off Mark Shaw (GBR), Milan Hric (CZE) and the 2009 World Champion Valerio Grazini (ITA).

RUSSIA WON THE TEAM EVENT

Three young Russian shooters finished atop of the Trap Men Junior team. Maksim Smykov (winner of an individual Bronze) and his teammates Alexey Gulyaev and Ilya Vinogradov scored 356 targets to win the teams’ Gold. Following them on the podium, Italy’s Valerio Grazini, Giulio Fioravanti and Carlo Mancarella secured the teams’ Silver with 356 hits, while Bronze went to Czech Republic (Milan Hric, Jan Borkovec and Pavel Vanek) with 349 hits.

With more than 5 points of advantage on their followers, Barbara Lechner, Sonja Pfeilschifer and Eva Friedel climbed upon today’s podium, in a glorious day for the German team.

It has been a glorious day for the German rifle team, today, in Wroclaw (POL), where the 2011 ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup Final is held from the 18th to the 24th of September.

Three German flags were risen atop of today’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women event podium, won by Barbara Lechner, followed by her teammates Sonja Pfeilschifter and Eva Friedel.

Only the best shooters of the world were eligible to participate in this competition: the reigning World Champions, the World Cup title defenders, and the best performers qualified throughout this year’s four ISSF World Cup Stages.

The three German teammates beat the all, finishing atop of the podium with more than 5 points of margin on the other finalists.

The reigning World Champion, Barbara Lechner, qualified in the lead with 592 points. Exploiting her three-point head start on her two teammates, she did not hesitate, and took the brightest medal with an overall score of 690.8 points, after leading the medal match with 98.8 points.

“I feel great. I am at the top of my conditions.” The 28-year old finalist said right after the match. Just a few weeks ago, she had finished in second at the European Championship held in Belgrade.

“I hope I will keep on shooting like today in the next months. I want to win the German Olympic trials, and then go the 2012 Olympics. Today, I am so fit that I feel I can make it!” Lechner added. She had been competing in the 2004 and in the 2008 Olympics, finishing seventh and ninth, respectively.

Her teammate Sonja Pfeilschifter, a 40-year old World Record holder who has been leading the rifle world ranking for years, placed in second. Qualified with 587 points, she scored today’s highest final, 103.1 points, finishing on the podium with a total of 690.1 points, just 0.7 behind Lechner. Pfeilschifter was not new to the ISSF World Cup Final podium: since 1991, she has been winning six gold medals, and a total of 12 awards, in this event.

Eva Friedel (27), the third German finalist, secured the Bronze with an overall score of 687.7 (589+98.7) points, winning her first ISSF World Cup Final medal.

“It has been an excellent competition. We are a great team, and we showed it today, I couldn’t be more happy to share the podium with the two of them!” Lechner added.

China’s Wan Xiangyan and Li Peijing place in fourth and fifth place, more than five points behind the Germans, with 682.6 and 682.0 points, respectively. USA’s Jamie Beyerle followed them in sixth with 681.3 points, while Denmark’s Stine Nielsen and Switzerland’s Annik Marguet closed the match in seventh and eighth place with 678.8 and 677.4 points, respectively.

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.