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The six time Olympian from Serbia came back to victory in the 25m Pistol Women event at the Olympic Shooting Range of Sydney. Australia’s hopes Yauhleuskaya and Ryan finished in fourth and sixth.

Serbia’s five time Olympic medallist Jasna Sekaric came back on the highest step of an ISSF podium by winning today’s 25m Pistol Women event at the ISSF World Cup in Rifle and Pistol events in Sydney, Australia. This wasn’t the first time that she competed here: on the lines of this venue she had won a 10m Air Pistol Silver medal during the 2000 Olympic Games, and probably experience played a determinant role in today’s victory.

Entering today’s final round solydly in the lead with 585 points, Sekaric did not shoot at her best during the final match, scoring 197.2 points throughout the four final series. Thanks to her 3-point head start, she managed her margin over the followers, finishing in first place with a total score of 782.2 points.

“I haven’t been training that much because we don’t have a indoor range in Serbia. Therefore I was a little bit nervous, you have probably seen it during the final.” Sekaric said after the round.

The 44-year old shooter had won her last World Cup Gold in this event in 2008, at the pre-Olympic World Cup in Beijing. The Serbian sharpshooter, competing in each edition of the Olympics since 1988, has won an impressive record number of 59 World Cup medals in her successful sport career.

Silver went to the 22-year old Russian shooter Anna Mastyanina, competing in her first final, today. The young shooter, ranked 53 in the world, grabbed her best results ever here in Sydney, claiming the Silver medal with a total score of 781.2 points, after scoring of 199.2 in the final.

Just two tenths of a point behind her, Korea’s Boo Soon Hee secured Bronze with 781.0 points. The 42-year old finalist, an Olympic veteran of Seoul, Atlanta and Sydney, had won her last World Cup medal in 1994, in Munich. Entering today’s match in eight an last place, with the lower qualification score of 577 points, she climbed upon the podium by shooting today’s highest score in the final: 204.0 outstanding points.

Today’s turned out to be a great event also for the host country, Australia, as two Australian shooters made it to the final round, ranking in fourth and sixth place. Lalita Yahuleuskaya turned out to be a little bit unlucky, as she missed the podium by 0.7 points finishing in fourth with a total score of 780.3 points. Her teammate Linda Ryan, an Olympians of Sydney 2000’s Games, understandably felt the home court pressure, losing the third spot she had on the start list to end up in fifth place with 778.6 points.

The Chinese shooter left no chances t her opponents, ending up on the highest step of the podium with more than one point of margin on the followers. Australia’s Van Nus made it into her first ISSF World Cup final round in front of the home supporters.

The 2005 ISSF World Cup Final winner, China’s Wu Liuxi, secured Gold at today’s 50m Rifle Three Positions Women event, securing Gold with a total score of 681.3 points.

After entering the final round in the lead with 584 points, the 25-year old Chinese athlete (an Olympic Finalist of Beijing 2008) shoot solidly scoring 97.3 points in the final, claiming her first Gold of the season.

While Wu was getting closer and closer to the Gold medal, the crowd following the match at the Sydney Olympic Shooting Range cheered up for the home shooter Robyn Van Nus, 27, who had never made into an ISSF World Cup final round, before. The Australian athlete had made into the final in second spot with a qualification score of 583 points. Understandably nervous for her first final, she dropped a couple of shots in the eighth ring, ending up in fourth place, just a few tenths far from the podium, with a total score of 678.0 points.

“I’d never made a World Cup final and to do so in front of my home crowd on my training range was a fantastic experience for me,” Van Nus said. The 27-year old athlete has just moved to Sydney, and started training year four weeks ago.

“I was disappointed with my performance in the final but I can take a lot of encouragement out of today’s match. I will take part in the next ISSF World Cup in Fort Benning (USA) next May.” Concluded the home shooter.

The Silver medal went to the 25-year old Olympic Finalist of Beijing Jamie Beyerle of USA, who claimed her second medal in this World Cup stage following the Bronze she had won at the 10m Air Rifle Women event two days ago.

Bayerle entered the final round in fourth with 579 qualification points, moving then in the lead by shooting outstandingly in the final, 101.2 points, today’s highest final score, securing the medal with a total of 680.2 points.

“Today it was quite a difficult day for me, actually! I have been working a lot on my Prone, and I was quite satisfied by the prone round, today. But the conditions for the Standing are quite tricky here in Sydney…But of course I am happy about today’s final!” Said the American shooter right after the final.

“Now I will take part in some selection match for the ISSF World Championship, back home” Bayerle added, speaking at the ISSF TV microphones.

Today’s Bronze was won by Croatia’s Olympic Bronze medalist Snjezana Pejcic, 27-year old, who ended up on the third step of the podium with a total score of 678.7 (579+99.7) points.

Following Australia’s Van Nus, the second Chinese finalist Liu Bo closed the round in fifth with 677.6 points, preceding Malaysia’s Nur Suryani Modh Taibi, sixth with 679.1 points.

The seventh and eighth spots in the final were taken by Switzerland’s Annik Marguet, 28, and by Japan’s first time finalist Aeiko Iwata, 29, with 672.7 and672.4 points respectively.

The 2008 10m Air Rifle Women Olympic Champion Emmons of Czech Republic came back to an ISSF World Cup after being away for awhile. Shooting in the lead since the first shot, she won today’s 10m Air Rifle Women final at the ISSF World Cup in Sydney.

The 2008 Olympic Champion of Beijing Katerina Emmons came back competing in an ISSF World Cup after having her daughter Julia, and she came back in the best possible way, by winning the 10m Air Rifle Women Gold medal. Making into the final with an outstanding qualification score of 399 points (one point far from the World Record she already holds), Emmons claimed Gold by shooting the highest final of the day (104.1 points), ending up on the highest step of the podium with a total score of 503.1 points.

Competing in front of a crowded final hall, at the 2000 Olympic Shooting Range of Sydney, the Czech Champion stepped on the podium holding on her baby daughter Julia, and received her first ISSF World Cup Gold medal since 2008.

Malaysia’s first time medallist, Nur Suryani Mohd Taibi, secured Silver by climbing the scoreboard all the way up from the eighth place. The 27-year old athlete had squeezed into the final round passing through a shoot-off, with a qualification score of 396 hits. Then, her final score of 103.8 points landed her in second place, to receive the first ISSF medal of her sport career , with a total of 499.8 points.

Also qualified for today’s final through a shoot-off with a score of 396 points, USA’s Olympic Finalist of Beijing Jamie Beyerle secured Bronze with a total score of 499.6 points. Shooting solidly, she scored 103.6 points throughout the final match, finishing just two tenths of a point far from the Silver medallist.

The 2008 and 2009 World Cup Final winner Wu Liuxi of China, currently ranked third in the World, did not make it to the podium, today. The 25-year old athlete ended up in fourth place with 499.2 points, missing the medals by a few determinant tenths. She was followed by Iran’s first time finalist Mahlagha Jambozorg, 18, who closed the round in fifth place after outdoing China’s Liu Bo in a shoot-off by 10.0 to 8.9 points.

The two teammates Lee Kyerim and Gu Sura of Korea, both competing in an ISSF international final for the first time, placed in seventh a and eighth place with 497.5 and 497.0 points, respectively.

The first leg of the 2010 ISSF Shotgun World Cup kicked-off today in Acapulco, Mexico, where the competition is taking place from the 1st through the 10th of March.

The first 2010 ISSF Shotgun World Cup Stage started today in Acapulco, Mexico, where athletes coming from 35 countries will compete in the five Olympic events of Trap, Double Trap and Skeet. Acapulco’s World Cup is the first step of this year’s ISSF competitions, leading to the ISSF World Championship in all events that will be held in Munich next July, where the first Olympic Quota Places for London 2012 will be awarded.

The ISSF President Mr. Olegario Vazquez Raña leaded the opening ceremony of the competition. A number of media followed the event on site, while teams paraded through the venue and a group of local artists performed traditional dances and music.

“Welcome to the ISSF World Cup in Acapulco” said President Vazquez Raña “In the next days, we will see the best shooters of the World competing in Mexico for the first time since 1991. Here we have the unique chance to see champions from all over the world competing along the shooting starts of the future.”

“I would like to thank the authorities of the Guerrero State and of Acapulco for their support in the realization of this event – added the President – and Sr. Jorge Peña, the President of the Mexican shooting Federation, for the restless efforts he put in the organization of this World Cup. I wish the best to the athletes!”

The athletes were welcomed by the Major of Acapulco’s Municipality Dr. Manuel Añorve Baños and by the Governor of the Guerrero State, Mr. Zaferino Torreblanca, who declared opened the competition and thanked the participants of this first ISSF World Cup stage.

The first final match, the Trap Women Final, will take place tomorrow afternoon, at 4.30 PM Acapulco time (GMT-6). Follow the match on ISSF TV at www.issf-sports.org!

Following the cancellation of the World Cup Stage in India, the ISSF reassigned the first World Cup in Rifle and Pistol to Australia.

The first 2010 ISSF World Cup in Rifle and Pistol events will be held in Sydney, Australia, from the 20th through the 28th of March. The competition will take place at the 2000 Olympic Shooting Range of Sydney, which hosted an ISSF World Cup in 2007.

The World Cup Stage was originally scheduled to take place in India, but the ISSF decided to assign it to Australia as New Delhi’s Organizing Committee withdrew its application.

“We are naturally delighted, as this will mean that the Australians will have an opportunity to compete on their home soil against the world’s best athletes. – Said the CEO of Australian Shooting Association Nick Sullivan - This will play a very important part in the lead up to both the International Shooting Sports Federation’s World Championships and the Commonwealth Games to be held later in the year.”