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TONG Xin from the People’s Republic of China, won the 10m Air Pistol Women final at the ISSF world cup in rifle and pistol events in Changwon, Korea. Entering the final round in the lead with the highest qualification score, she finished in first with a total of 489.4 points (388+101.4). The 26-year old pistol shooter seldom competes in world cup stages, but when she does it she is used to finish on the podium. She had indeed already won an ISSF medal here in Changwon, where she had won a silver at the world cup stage held here in 2005.

Supported by a crowded final hall, LEE Ho Lim of Korea could not make it to the highest step of the podium. The 20-year old shooter entered the final round with one point of disadvantage from the qualification’s leader TONG, and the ten final shots where not enough to fill the gap. LEE finished in second place with an overall score of 488.3 point (387+101.3), securing silver, her second medal within the ISSF World Cup Series frame (she had won a gold medal at the world cup held in Milan in 2005).

Bronze went to the Australian shooter Lalita YAUHLEUSKAYA, probably the most experienced shooter competing in today’s match. The four-time Olympian finished in third place with a total score of 487.8 points (386+101.8), missing to catch up Korea’s LEE by five tenths of a point.

Kazakhstan’s Zauresh BAIBUSSINOVA shot a final of 99.6 points, climbing from the eight place to the fourth, where she placed with 482.6 (383+99.6). LEE Pei Ching of Chinese Taipei closed the final round in fifth place with 482.3 points, preceding Japan’s Yoko INADA (sixth with 480.5 points), and Korea’s KIM Byung Hee (seventh with 479.7 points). The second Chinese finalist WU Yan, winner of yesterday’s 25m Pistol Women Final, placed eighth with 478.7 points.

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).

Beijing’s Olympic Silver medallist JIN set a new World Record this morning, qualifying for the 10m Air Pistol Men final with a record score of 594 points that shattered a previous record of 593 points which had resisted since 20 years (set by Sergei PYZHIANOV at the 1989 World Cup Final).

JIN, who had won gold at yesterday’s 50m pistol competition, entered the final round with the intention of achieving a new final world record (previous: 695.1), a result which would have been possible with a final of 101,1 points, a reachable score.

Staring in the lead with 7 points of advantage on the following EKIMOV, JIN shot two times in the ten ring, and then his scores started dropping, landing on an unbelievable 8.0 on his 4th competition shot. The paper of the electronic target had stopped scrolling down, but the athlete and his coach only noticed the malfunction on the seventh competition shots, issuing a protest.

The final round was interrupted, and the judges moved JIN to the spare target available for these emergency situations. The break lasted more then 5 minutes so, following the ISSF rules, was given to the finalists an additional five-minute sighting time.

JIN, clearly disappointed, lost his concentration and could not perform at his best on the new target. He closed the round with a 7.9 shot, finishing in second place behind Russia’s EKIMOV and winning Silver with a total score of 689.7 points (594+95.7).

Leonid EKIMOV of the Russian Federation, 21-year old, won gold with an outstanding final round of 104.0 points. An impressive average of 10.4 points per shot pushed him to the highest step of the podium, where he landed with a total score of 691.0 points (587+104.0).

The young pistol shooter EKIMOV finished in spotlights again with this excellent performance, confirming to be a rising shooting start. At the age of 21 years, he can display a wide medal collection, and the shooting fans should keep an eye on him. Next to nine European titles in different pistol events, the young EKIMOV has already won 5 World Cup medals, and has taken part in two Olympic finals in Beijing.

Bronze medal went to the Chinese shooter SHI Xinglong, 32-year old, who finished in third with 685.9 points (584+101.9) winning the battle for the podium against Mikhail NETRUEV o Russia, fourth today.

China’s WU Yan won the 25m Pistol Women final at the ISSF World Cup in Changwon, Korea. The 30-year old Chinese athlete shot gold with a total score of 790.5 points (586+204.5), taking over the Kazakh Yuliya BONDAREVA, who had started the final on the lead after the qualifications.
WU had only competed once in the frame of the ISSF World Cup Series in 2003, when she had finished in fourth at a world cup stage held here in Changwon.

Silver went to Yuliya BONDAREVA of Kazakhstan. The two times Olympian had shot a good qualification of 589 points, finishing in first on the final’s start list, but then she struggled in the four final series, sliding in second with a total score of 788.9 points (589+199.9).

Bronze was secured by the 27-year old German shooter Stefanie THURMANN, who cried of joy right after the last shot: she had never won a world-level medal before. The German athlete shot her last award at the 2001 European Championships of Zagreb, where she had grabbed a junior Silver medal. Today she played an excellent final round and climbed up the scoreboard from the fifth place she had on the start line. She closed the final with a total of 787.2 points (582+205.2).

The 1988 Olympic Bronze medallist of Seoul, Serbia’s Jasna SEKARIC, shot the highest final of 205.7 points, but she could not go further then the 4th place due to a lower qualification score of 581 points.

Korea’s national hero JIN Jong Oh, Beijing’s Olympic champion, won the ISSF World Cup’s 50m pistol men final in front of his supporters, in a crowded final hall at the shooting range of Changwon. Qualified in first place with 575 points and with a safe advantage on his followers, the 29-year old Korean athlete shot with ease his way to the highest step of the podium, closing the match in first with a total score of 674.6 points (575+99.6).

JIN has never stopped after the Games, he keeps on winning and this seems to be his golden period. After shooting gold and silver at the Games of Beijing in the 50 and 10 meters pistol events, he has leaded the 2008 ISSF World Final of Bangkok which closed the past sport season, and shared with Czech’s Katerina Emmons the title of “2008 shooter of the year” assigned by the sport journalists.

Leonid EKIMOV, the young and talented Russian pistol shooter who has leaded three European Championship as junior shooter between 2004 and 2007, placed in second today, winning Silver with a total of 665 points (573+92).

The 21-year EKIMOV proved to be a growing pistol start, and secured his spot on the podium after battling against two titled teammate, the 2004 and the 1996 Olympic Champions NESTRUEV and KOKOREV.

Mikhail NESTRUEV, 40-years old, and Boris KOKOREV, 49-year old, shot neck and neck for Bronze right to the last shots, in a breathtaking duel for the podium. NESTRUEV, a 2004 Olympic Champion who has struggled at the last Beijing’s Game, won the contest and placed in third winning Bronze with 662.2 points (567+95.2). His teammate KOKOREV followed him in fourth place with 660.6 points (567+93.6).

The 20-year old shooter LEE Daemyung, the second Korean finalist, closed the match in fifth, preceding China’s SHI Xinglong, today’s sixth.

Rashid YUNUSMETOV of Kazakhstan finished the round in seventh, while the German shooter Hans Joerg MEYER closed in eighth place. He had entered the final round by outdoing his teammate Florian SCHMIDT in a shoot-off.