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Belarus’ Marynov secured his second title by 0.1 points, Matthew Emmons claimed the first 2012 Olympic Quota of the US team

42-year old Belarusian shooter Sergei Martynov won his second consecutive World Championship title in the 50m Rifle Prone men event today, securing an Olympic Quota Place, a pass to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The two-time Olympic Bronze medallist of Sydney and Athens finished on the highest step of today’s podium with a total score of 703.9 (599+104.9) points after a spine-chilling last shot.

After leading the qualification rounds with 599 points, and shooting an average higher than 10.5 per shot throughout the first part of the match, Martynov fired a frustrating 9.8-point last shot, finishing in first with just one tenth of a point of advantage over the Silver medallist Sauveplane of France (which means less than one millimetre of difference on a target set 50 meter far from them).

By winning his second consecutive title four years after the 2006 ISSF World Championship in Zagreb, Martynov also become the first-ever ISSF World Championship multi-medallist in the 50m Rifle Prone Men event: nobody, before Martynov, had ever been able to win two WCH medals in this competition.

“Of course I am happy. But I have to admit that I am somehow used to win: this is not my first victory!” Said the shy Belarusian athlete to the EBU cameras right after the last, breathtaking shot “This tile means to me that I am not too old to compete in the next Olympic Games!” concluded Martynov, who will be 44-year old in 2012.

The French athlete Valerian Sauveplane, who claimed Silver with a total score of 703.8 (599+104.8) points, turned out to be a little bit unlucky, today. After making it into the final tied to Martynov with a qualification of 599 points, he missed the Gold by 0.1 points in spite of an almost-perfect last shot of 10.8.

Next to the Silver medal, Sauveplane was also granted the second of the five 2012 Olympic Quota Places to be awarded in this event.

Taking the Bronze with a total of 702.2 (598+104.2) points, USA’s Matthew Emmons won an Olympic Quota places, becoming the first American athlete qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games.

The 29-year old American shooter from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, a 2004 Olympic Champion of Athens and 2008 Olympic Silver medallist of Beijing, had already won an ISSF World Championship edition in 2002, in Lathi, Finland, right before his success at the 2004 Games.

“It’s great to be the one who grabbed the first Olympic Quota for America.” Said Matthew after the match “Of course, I am not automatically qualified. The Quota goes to the US Shooting team, and all the American shooters are passing through a qualification system in order to decide who will go to the next Games.” Concluded Emmons, who has always being representing the USA at the Olympics since he started shooting internationally in 2001.

The last two Quota Places awarded in this competition went to Norway’s Vebjoern Berg and India’s Harlom Singh, who placed in fifth and sixth place, respectively.

Vebjoern Berg, a 30-year old Engineer from Blaker (NOR) placed in fifth with 701.4 (598+103.4) points, gaining a pass for London two years after his foruth palce at the 2008 Olympics of Beijing.

India’s Singh, a real surprise on the international shooting panorama, secured an Olympic Quota for his country with a score of 700.9 (598+102.9) points, outscoring his teammates at his first participation ever in an international shooting competition.

Olympic Bronze medallist Waren POTENT started the new ISSF world cup series as he had closed the previous edition: in first place. POTENT had won the 2008 World Cup Final in Bangkok, the last ISSF competition of the Olympic year. Today climbed up form third place he had after the qualification, and won the rifle prone final with a score of 700.0 (596+104.0), stating again his leadership in this event. “I am so happy! I felt quite confident today”.
The Australian shooter made his way to the podium by shooting the highest per-shot average in today’s final, gaining his fourth ISSF world cup gold medal. His average is impressive: during the last two world cup seasons, POTENT has won 4 golds and 2 bronzes, an impressive total of six medals out of nine world cup stages, only in the 50m rifle prone event.

Silver was taken by Josselin HENRY of France, who climbed from the fourth place winning his first medal in this event with 699.4 points (596+103.4). The France shooter overtook the 20-year old Norwegian athlete Ole Magnus BAKKEN, who shot himself in third place by firing a last shot of 9.2 points, probably feeling the pressure of his first world-level final in this event. The Norwegian shooter shot Bronze with a total of 699.3 points (597+102.3), only one tenth behind HENRY.

India’s Gagan NARANG finished in fourth place with 698.7 points (597+698.7), his best placement in this event in an ISSF world cup so far. The Indian shooter, who is an expert and successful 10m Air Rifle shooter, considers the rifle prone a back-up event “I am still learning!” he had said a few days ago about it.

USA’s Michael MCPHAIL finished in fifth place with 698.4 points (595+103.4), followed by the home shooter Jinseop HAN, who closed the round in sixth with 696.1 points (594+102.9).

Competitors shoot at a stationary target consisting of ten concentric rings, with the innermost being the ‘inner ten’ with a diameter of 5 mm. The targets are placed 50m away and shooters fire from the prone position.

The Rifle is of .22 (“Small-bore”) calibre with an maximum permissible weight of 8kg for men and 6.5 kg for women.

60 shots (including unlimited sighters) are fired in 75minutes. This gives a score out of 600.

In the Men’s 50m Prone event, the best eight shooters from this opening program qualify for the final, which consists of ten further shots, each fired on command. Each shot is evaluated in decimal tenths (10.9 being the maximum). The decimal score gives a maximum “Final” score of 109. The “Final” Score is added to the score from the opening program, giving a maximum score of 709.

The Women’s 50m Prone event has no “Final” Event and positions are decided from the 60-shot score.

Competitors shoot at a stationary target consisting of ten concentric rings, with the innermost being the ‘inner ten’ with a diameter of 5 mm. The targets are placed 50m away and shooters fire from the prone position.

The Rifle is of .22 (“Small-bore”) calibre with an maximum permissible weight of 8kg for men and 6.5 kg for women.

60 shots (including unlimited sighters) are fired in 75minutes. This gives a score out of 600.

In the Men’s 50m Prone event, the best eight shooters from this opening program qualify for the final, which consists of ten further shots, each fired on command. Each shot is evaluated in decimal tenths (10.9 being the maximum). The decimal score gives a maximum “Final” score of 109. The “Final” Score is added to the score from the opening program, giving a maximum score of 709.

The Women’s 50m Prone event has no “Final” Event and positions are decided from the 60-shot score.