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The Serbian shooter beat Ekimov and Matsuda to finish upon the highest step of the podium. The title defender, USA’s Szarenski closed the match in fourth, 2.9 points far from the podium.

The European Champion Andrija Zlatic of Serbia won the ISSF World Cup Final in the 50m Pistol men event, today, at the Wroclaw shooting range, where the event is held from the 18^th to the 24^th of September.

The 33-year old shooter upset the qualification leader Leonid Ekimov of the Russian Federation to finish upon the highest step of the podium, securing a victory that pushes him up to the highest positions of the world ranking.

Starting the final match in second place with 568 points – one point behind Ekimov – Zlatic scored 99.9 points during the final match to overtake the young Russian champion.

The Serbian winner secured the brightest medal with an overall score of 667.9 points, winning his first ISSF World Cup Final.

Russia’s 24-year old Ekimov finished in second place with 665.9 points. After qualifying for the final match in the lead with 569 points, he scored 96.9 points in the final – with a fatal 8.6-point ninth shot – closing the match in second by two points.

The Bronze medal went to the current number one in the world, the Japanese shooter Tomoyuki Matsuda, winner of two World Championship Gold medals last year, and of three World Cup Golds during this season.

The Japanese marksmen, ranked first in the world and declared “2010 Shooters of the Year” by the sport press, entered into the final match with 561 points, finishing then on the podium with a total of 659.1 points.

He was followed by the title defender, the 2010 ISSF World Cup Final winner Daryl Szarenski of the USA, who closed the match in fourth with 656.2 points. The 2008 Olympic Champion, the Korean ace-shooter Jin Jong Oh, followed him in fifth place with 655.7 points.

Two Italian teammates landed in sixth and eighth place: Giuseppe Giordano placed sixth with 654.1 points, while Francesco Bruno closed the match in eighth with 651.4 points. Between them, the Chinese finalist Wu Xiao, seventh with 651.9 points.

The 32-year old shooter climbed from the seventh place to secure the brightest medal. Two Korean teammates finished in the spotlights, winning the Bronze and a Quota Place.

Italy’s Francesco Bruno won today’s 50m Pistol Men final at the 2011 ISSF Rifle & Pistol World Cup in Changwon, Korea.

The 32-year old Italian athlete finished on the highest step of the podium with a total score of 662.2 points. Qualified in sixth place with 564 points, Bruno climbed up the scoreboard, ending up with the brightest medal after scoring 98.2 points during the final, in spite of a minor misadventure on his last shot.

“I had turned off my pistol before the last shot, to trigger it a little bit before the last shot, to release the tension. Then I forgot to turn it on again when I mounted the gun for the last shot. My heart was pumping fast…”

“It has been a long time since I won my last Gold” Bruno said after the final, releasing the pressure of the match. He had secured his last World Cup Gold back in 2003. “I have been working a lot to make it, in the last two years”

“Two World Cup medals in two weeks are a great result, for me” Bruno added. He had won a Silver medal and a Quota Place just two weeks ago, at the ISSF World Cup in Sydney.

“Since I became a father, two years ago, my life changed. I would like to dedicate this victory to my family, also thanking my coach Masetti.”  The Italian athlete added. “Now, full throttle ahead to London!”

The Silver medal and the first Olympic Quota Place went to Russia’s young champion Leonid Ekimov, 23, who finished in second place with an overall score of 660.6 points. Walking into the final with 564 points, the Russian athlete fired 96.6 points in the final, to finish with the Silver medal and a pass to the 2012 Olympic Games.

The spectators following the match at Changwon’s final hall cheered up for Kim Yeong Koo and Lee Damyung, the two Korean finalists.

The two home shooters, who had started in first and third place, eventually closed the match winning a Bronze medal (thanks to Lee Damyung, third with 659.1 points) and with an Olympic Quota Place (secured by Kim Yeong Koo, fourth with 658.8 points).

The 1992 Olympic Champion Kanstantin Lukashyk of Belarus closed the match in fifth place with 658.4 points, just four tenths far from the Olympic Quota Place. The 35-year old shooter participated in all the Olympic editions since Barcelona, and is still looking for an entrance ticket to London, which would be his sixth Olympics.

Following him, Portugal’s Costa landed in sixth with 657.2 points, followed by China’s Pu Qifeng in seveth and by Slovakia’s Pavol Kopp in eighth with 655.8 points.

Five hundred shooters are competing in Changwon in these days, in the third leg of the 2011 ISSF Wold Cup Series. The best shooters of the world came here trying to secure one of the 24 Olympic Quota Places to be assigned during this competition.

Winning the 50m Pistol Men event, Japan’s Matsuda Tomoyuki secued his second consecutive Gold medal at the 2011 ISSF World Cup in Sydney. Italy and China won the Olympic Quota Places.

The 50m Pistol Men final took place in a windy day, at the 2000 Olympic Shooting Range of Sydney. But, in spite of the unfavourable conditions, the two-time World Champion Matsuda Tomoyuki of Japan secured the Gold medal with ease. Starting the match in first with a qualification score of 567 points, the Japanese shooter increased his advantage over his followers shot after shot. Shooting the highest final score, 97.0 points, Matsuda landed on the highest step of the podium with a total score of 664.0 points.

The 35-year old Japanese shooter had won the 10m Air Pistol men event just three days ago, dedicating the victory to his wounded homeland.

Today, winning his second consecutive Gold medal at the 2011 ISSF World Cup in Sydney, he took the chance to say something more about the situation in Japan. “I can’t really celebrate, right now. My family lives in the surroundings of Tokyo, and we are worried about the nuclear emergency.” Matsuda said. “Everybody here at the ISSF World Cup asked me if I was ok while I was in Japan. I was touched by them and I would like to thank all the shooters who came to talk to me.”

Two Olympic Quota Place had to be assigned at today’s final. As Matsuda had already won a Quota at the last 2010 World Championship, the Olympic qualification cards went to the Silver and the Bronze medallists.

After fighting neck and neck with Chian’s Pang Wei, it was Francesco Bruno who secured the first Olympic Quota place, a 32-year old Italian athlete who competed in both the 2004 and at the 2008 Olympic Games. Entering the match with 563 qualification points, he fired today’s second best final score (96.8 points) to finish upon the second step of the podium with a total of 659.8 points.

The 2008 Air Pistol Olympic Champion, Pang Wei of the People’s Republic of China, finished in third right behind Bruno, with a total score of 659.9 (561+95.9) points, pocketing the second Olympic Quota Place.

Ending up in fourth place, Korea’s Lee Daemyung closed the match with 656.3 points, followed by China’s Wu Xiao Wu, 28-year old, at his first participation in an ISSF World Cup stage in this event, who finished in fifth with 655.8 points. The third Chinese finalist, Zhang Tian, placed in sixth with 654.7 points.

The Serbian shooter Damir Mikec, 26, a finalist at the last 2008 Olympic Games, closed the match in seventh with 654.5 points, followed by Turkey’s Yusuf Dikec, 38, with 653.7 points.

USA’s Daryl Szarenski closed the 2010 ISSF World Cup Series on the highest step of the podium, securing the World Cup title with more than 5 points of advantage on his followers.

“This has definitively been my best season ever!” The American pistol shooter Daryl Szarenski said right after the last shot of today’s 50m Pistol Men competition.

Qualified in first place with a score of 565 points, and with three points of advantage on his followers, the 42-year old American shooter played an excellent final, marking 97.5 points, and claiming the Gold medal with a total score of 662.5 points.

Szarenski has been one of the main protagonists of this 2010 ISSF World Cup Series, by entering almost every final match throughout the season, and finishing four times on the podium (two Gold medals at the World Cup stage in Beijing, a Silver in Fort Benning and a Bronze in Sydney).

“Every year I try to slowly improve my performance, working step by step. But this season has been extraordinary,” Szarenskiu said after nailing the Gold “I only have some regrets for the World Championship. I could have shot a medal, there.” Continued the American shooter, who had placed in sixth at the 2010 World Championship held here in Munch last August.

“Next aim? To do my best throughout the 2011 season, and go for an Olympic medal in 2012!” Szarenski concluded.

The Silver medal went to the Bronze medallist of the 2008 Olympic Games, Russia’s pistol ace shooter Vladimir Isakov. The 40-year old shooter, who had qualified for this World Cup Final by winning a Bronze medal at the ISSF World Cup Stage held in Belgrade, ended up in second place with a total score of 657.0 points, just two tenths more than what marked by the Bronze medallist Matzuda.

The World Champion of Munich 2010, Japan’s Matsuda Tomoyuki, confirmed to be in great athletic conditions by placing in third after a breathtaking final match. The 34-year old shooter fought against Slovakia’s Kopp throughout the first part of the final round, moving then in third place thanks to an excellent 10.6 fired on his fifth competition shot.

From there on, Matsuda tried his best to catch up Isakov in second place, but ten shots turned out to be not enough to reach the Russian champion. Matsuda ended up in third, just two tenths shy of securing the Silver, and was awarded the Bronze medal with a total score of 656.8 points.

Russia’s young champion Leonid Ekimov, 23, a World Championship junior multi-medallist, placed in fourth, following the leading trio with a total of 654.7 points. Three points behind him, Armenia’s Norayr Bakhtamyan placed in fifth with 651.3 points, while the home shooter Abdullah Ustaoglu, shooting for Germany, landed in sixth place with 651.0 points after shooting-off Slovakia’s Kopp, seventh today.

Matsuda Tomoyuki is the first Japanese athlete to qualify for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The 34-year old Police Officer form Yokohama won today’s 50m Pistol competition at the 50th ISSF World Championship in all shooting events taking place in Munich, the first Olympic qualifier event for the 2012 Games.

Four Olympic Quota Places, the pass for the Games, had to be assigned at today’s 50m Pistol Men final round. Matsuda, a right-handed pistol shooter competing internationally since 2002, entered the final match in the lead with a qualification score of 572 points, and a consistent advantage of four points on his followers.

Keeping his Korean opponent Lee Daemyung behind him throughout the ten-shot competition, Matsuda managed his advantage scoring 97.7 points, and finished on the highest step of the podium with a total score of 669.7 points.

The Japanese shooter celebrated with his teammates his best placement ever in a world-level competition. Matsuda had indeed finished in 36th at the last ISSF World Championship in 2006, and eighth at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Korea’s Lee Daemyung eventually finished in second place, securing the Silver medal and the second Olympic Quota Place to be awarded in this match. The 21-year old Korean shooter, who had finished in the spotlight also in 2006 by winning Silver at the 10m Air Pistol Junior competition, finished on today’s podium after playing a great final match. Qualified in fourth place with 567 points, he climbed up the scoreboard by shooting 98.2 points in the final, eventually grabbing the Silver and the quota with a total of 665.2 points.

The Bronze went to Kazakhstan’s Vyacheslav Podlesny, who secured the first 2012 Olympic Quota place for his country with an odd-defying final round. The 32-year old shooter, ranked 73 in the world in this event, had never participated in a World Championship before, and his best placement in career had been a 42nd place at this year’s World Cup stage in Fort Benning, USA. By entering today’s final in second place with 568 points and then finishing on the podium with 662.1 points, he surprised everybody, even himself, as he said.

The fourth and last Olympic Quota place to be awarded in this match went to Serbia’s Andrija Zlatic, 32, who closed the match in fourth with 659.6 (567+92.6).

World’s rank leader, Daryl Szarenski of USA, did not grab a quota, finishing in sixth place behind Russia’s Vladimir Gontcharov with a total score of 655.0 (562+93.0) points. The 42-year old American shooter, who had led this year’s World Cup series in pistol events, shot twice in the eighth and once in the seventh ring during the final, closing the round more then 4 points far from the Quota Place. China’s Zhang Tian closed in sixth behind him with 652.6 points after shooting an frustrating 6.0-shot, while the 2008 Ukraininan Olympic Finalist Oleg Omelcuk did not keep up with the pressure and finished in eighth and last place with a total of 652.3 points, after firing today’s lower final score, 89.3 points.