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The 2009 ISSF Shotgun World Championships has been offically closed. Italy finished atop the medal standings, while the American team shot two new records.

The 2009 ISSF Shotgun World Championship has been closed by today’s Skeet Men Final won by USA’s Vincent HANCOCK. The championship saw the participation of more then 600 shooters coming from 70 countries, the youngest being 12-year old, the oldest 59. The competition took place at the Gaj Shooting Range in the outskirts of Maribor (SLO) from the 6th through the 17th of August.

“In behalf of the ISSF President Mr. Olegario Vazquez Raña and of the ISSF Secretary General Mr. Horst G. Schreiber, I would like to thanks the delegations, the athletes and the Organizing Committee of this ISSF World Championship;” said Mr. Demetris F. Lordos of Cyprus, the ISSF Technical Delegate for this Championship.

“We experienced in a wonderful competition in wonderful city, thank you all!” Concluded Mr. Lordos, greeted by the President of the Organizing Committee, Mr. Igor Rakusa “It was a great honour to host you here, I hope you will bring back good memories of Maribor.” Mr. Rakusa said.

The medal standings: Italy leaded the Championship

The Italian Shotgun team finished atop of the medal standings, winning an impressive total of 15 medals (also considering the team medals). Italy finished in first with the highest number of individual medals: three Gold, two Silver and four Bronzes.

Following in second place, the United States of America secured a total of ten medals, winning one individual Gold and two individual Silver medals. The Russian Federation closed the 2009 ISSF Shotgun World Championship in third place, with a total of six medals, and one individual medal of each colour.

The overral medal standings (including team medals)

The medal standings (individual medals only)

Five new World Records

Five new World Records were established during the 2009 ISSF World Championship, and two World Records were equalled. The United States of America contributed for the most part in the new records set during the competition, with two new World Records and one Equalled World Record.

- New World Records –

Skeet Men Team: 366 Targets – Vincent HANCOCK; Shawn DULOHERY; Frank THOMPSON (USA)

Trap Women Team: 211 Targets – Jessica ROSSI, Deborah GELISIO, Giulia IANNOTTI (ITA)

Trap Women Junior Team: 202 Targets – QI Qiuwen, XU Tian, WANG Yajun (CHN)

Skeet Women Junior: 74 Targets – Therese LUNDQVIST (SWE)

Skeet Women Junior Team: 204 Targets – Amber ENGLISH; Alexander CHIANG; Caitlin CONNER (USA)

- Equalled World Records –

Double Trap Men Team: 430 Targets – Jeffrey HOLGUIN, Joshua RICHMOND, Walton ELLER (USA)

Trap Women: 74 Targets – Satu MAKELA-NUMMELA (FIN)

Next challenge: ISSF World Cup Finals

59 shooters coming from 25 nations qualified to take part in the next ISSF world-level event, this year’s ISSF Shotgun World Cup Final, which will take place in Beijing from the 29^th of October to the 3^rd of November. The match will take place at the Olympic CTF Shooting Range of Beijing, the venue of the last Olympic Games.

Check who qualified for this year’s World Cup Final!

Exactly one year ago Hancock had won the Games of Beijing. He switched back to his old shotgun and came back to victory in Maribor, at the 2009 ISSF Shotgun World Championship.

The 2008 Olympic Champion Vincent HANCOCK of the United States of America is the new Skeet Men World Champion. HANCOCK, 20-year old, won today’s final match with an almost perfect total score of 149 hits out of 150 targets, leaving the Silver medallist ACHILLEOS one target behind him.

No chances to his opponents.
HANCOCK walked into the final round with the highest qualification score of 124 hits out of 125 targets, and defended his leadership by shooting a perfect final of 25 hits, leaving no chances to his opponents. The young American shooter is not new to the World Championship spotlights: he had won the 2005 ISSF World Championship in Lonato (ITA), when he only was 16-year old.

Hancock won by coming back to his Olympic shotgun
“I went back to my old gun. I had changed my shotgun after the Games, but results did not come. I changed back to the shotgun I used in Beijing after the ISSF World Cup stage in San Marino, two months ago.” HANCOCK said right after the final. The American shooter did not shoot an international Gold medal since the Olympic Final of Beijing which took place the 16 of August 2008, exactly one year ago.

“I had done nothing this year, I was not used to it, so it feels great to be on the podium, today” Said HANCOCK, current World and Olympic record holder, Olympic Champion and two times World Champion. “My next appointment with the ISSF is the World Cup Final in Beijing, next October.”

The title defender ended up in second
The title defender, the Cypriot shooter Georgios ACHILLEOS of Cyprus, 28, finished in second place securing Silver with a total score of 148 targets. The Cypriot athlete shot a perfect final, hitting 25 targets, but he had walked into the match with a qualification of 123 hits, one target less than HANCOCK.

Bronze to the 41-year old Falco
Bronze went to the 1996 Olympic Champion of Atlanta, the 41-year old Italian shooter Ennio FALCO, ending up with a total of 147 hits (122+25). The Italian shooter won today his sixth World Championship’s medal out of a 25-year long sport career.

USA’s second finalist, the 44-year old Shawn DULOHERY, 2001 World Champion, finished in fourth place with a total score of 146 hits (122 +24), after missing a determinant target at the first station. Following him, Valery SHOMIN of Russia placed in fifth with a total of 145 targets after outdoing 4 targets to 3 Czech’s Leos HLAVACEK in a shoot-off.

USA atop of the team podium with a new record.

Vincent HANCOCK, together with his teammates Shawn DULOHERY and Frank THOMPSON, won the team Gold with an overall score of 366 hits out of 375 targets, setting a new World Record that shattered the previous 365-record set by the Italian team at the 2006 ISSF World Championship in Zagreb.

USA’s team distanced the followers by four targets. Coming in second, Finland (Marko KEMPPAINEN, Heikki MERILUOTO and Lauri LESKINEN) won the team Silver with a total score of 361 targets.

Team Bronze went to Denmark, thanks to Andres GOLDING, Jesper HANSEN and Michael NIELSEN, scoring a total of 361 targets.