Archerfish.org

Italy’s Ennio Falco won his fourth Silver medal after a perfect match. Achilleos shot-off his teammate Androu to win the Bronze, while the current Olympic Champion Hancock secured an Olympic pass at the last, breathtaking shot.

Valery Shomin of the Russian Federation is the new Skeet World Champion. The 39-year old athlete won the title and an Olympic Quota place after an outstanding final, by outdoing Italy’s Ennio Falco at the 22^nd target in a spine-chilling shoot-off for Gold.

Shomin and Falco fought neck and neck since the first competition shot. Both the shooters qualified for the final round with the same qualification score, 124 hits out of 125 possible targets, and started shooting-off from the first station.

Duelling shoulder and shoulder throughout the eight stations, the two athletes played a perfect match, hitting all of the 25 final targets, and finished the round as they had started: tied in the lead with a score of 149 total hits.

The following shoot-off (a direct-elimination tie-breaker conducted on the fourth station – the first who misses, goes out), turned in favour of Shomin, who climbed upon the highest step of the podium with 149 targets + 22 hits in the shoot-of, while Falco was left in second with 149+21 hits.

Shomin, ranked sixth in the world, finished in the spot-light every four years. He had indeed won two ISSF World Championship silver medals in 2002 and 2006, in Lahti (FIN) and Zegreb (CRO).

“After two Silver medals, it’s great to finally win a title!” Said the Russian athlete after the match “I would like to dedicate this victory to my father Kim, who passed away last April, while I was out for a shooting competition.” Continued Shomin “I was not expecting a victory here in Munich, but I am glad that I made it, especially thinking about the Olympic qualification.”

Italy’s Ennio Falco secured his fourth World Championship Silver medal. The 1996 Olympic Champion could not defeat the odds. Since 1983, when he started competing, the Italian shooter has won every title – from the Olympic Gold of Atlanta to five European titles, from four World Cup Final editions to 10 World Cup Gold medals – but the world tile.

“Unfortunately I did not make it. For the fourth time. We shot an almost perfect competition, today – said Falco after the match – 149 hits out of 150 targtes is a great result. I knew I had to be perfect, but I could not do more then this. We were tied right to the end, and I am proud of what I have done here today!” Said the 42-year old champion “I am happy with the Olympic Quota Place, this makes it easier for the next year. I knew this was going to be a long season, and I tried to peak to be competitive here in Munich, to qualify for the next Games at the first given chance, as I have always done since nineties!” concluded Falco, who has been competing in every Olympics since 1996.

The Bronze medal went to Cyprus’ Georgios Achielleos, the 2007 World Champion, who defeated his teammate Antonakis Andreou in a shoot-off for the podium. The two shooters, both trained by the 2004 Olympic Champion Andrea Benelli of Italy, started the final round with an equal score of 123 clays, and cleared the eighth station ending up with a total score of 148 hits. It was then the 29-year old Achilleos (leading the world ranking until this morning) who climbed on the podium with 10 shoot-off targets to Andreou’s 9 hits. The two teammates duelled on the range but celebrated together after the final: they both won the Olympic Quota Places for the Skeet event at the 2012 Games.

The fifth and last Olympic Quota place was taken by the Olympic Champion of Beijing 2008, USA’s Vincent Hancock, who placed in fifth after outdoing Denmark’s Andres Golding 8 to 7 hits in a shoot-off. Hancock, who had qualified for the medal match with 123 hits and had then missed a pool on the last double of station four, closed the match with a total score of 147+7 points.

The Team’s Gold Medal went to Cyprus, thanks to the great performances of the two finalists Achilleos and Andreou, and to their teammate Kyriacos Chritoforou, who finsihed on the podium with an overall score of 364 hits. Falco’s Italy finished in second on the teams’ podium, with an overall score of 363 targets hit by Ennio and his two teammates Angelo Moscariello and Velerio Luchini. Following in third place, the last medal of the 50^th ISSF World Championship in Munich went to the French team, on the podium with 362 targets scored by Anthony Terras, Eric Delaunay and Edouard Poumaillou.

Cyprus’ Achielleos finished in first beating Greece’s Mavrommatis in a shoot-off for Gold. Following them, the 2008 Olympic Champion Hancock secured Bronze outdoing Denmark’s Golding after 38 shoot-off targets

“To win two World Cup Gold medals back to back is a dream which comes true!” said the Cypriot Champion Georgios Achilleos, who claimed today’s Skeet Men Gold medal at the ISSF World Cup in Lonato, Italy. The 29-year old shooter, who had won also the previous World Cup Stage held in Dorset (UK), secured the brightest medal with a total score of 148+10 targets, outdoing Greece’s Nikolaos Mavromatis in a shoot-off.

“Three years ago, here in Lonato, I finished in second in spite of scoring 149 targets… - continued Achilleos, speaking at the ISSF TV microphones after the award ceremony – Coming here I knew that high scores were mandatory to finish on the highest step of the podium, and I prepared myself.”

Making it into the final round with a qualification score of 123 hits, the Cypriot athlete climbed up the scoreboard to the lead, hitting 25 out of 25 final targets in spite of the wind affecting the targets “The wind helped me. I handled it, while my opponents started missing. Passing through the trainings and the qualification rounds, I felt really confident.” Said Achilleos, who closed the round with a total score of 148 hits beating then the qualification’s leader Nikolaos Mavrommatis 10 to 9 hits in a shoot-off for Gold.

“Coming from a Gold medal in Dorset, I knew I was in very good conditions and well prepared to make it. I only participated in two World Cup Stages this year, trying to save some energies because I want to be ready for the ISSF World Championship in Munich.” Concluded Achilleos, speaking about the 50^th ISSF World Championship in all events, where he will face the strongest shooters of the world in a fight to secure the first 2012 Olympic Quota Places. The Cypriot shooter, ranked third in the world in the Skeet Men event, has already rose the World Championship cup twice, as a Junior competitor in 1999, and in 2007, when he won at his home range in Nicosia.

Today’s Silver medal went to Greece’s Nikolaos Mavrommatis. The 29-year old shooter, who had never made it to a World Cup final round before, qualified for the medal match in the lead with 124 hits, loosing then his head start by missing a target on station four. Tied to Achielleos with a final score of 148 hits, he lost the Gold in the shoot-off, finishing in second with 148+9 hits.

The battle for Bronze kept the spectators’ breaths, as three shooters tied in third place with a total score of 147 hits, and they had to pass through a second shoot-off to determinate the podium placements.

Russia’s expert Valery Shomin, 38, was the was the first to miss, placing himself in fifth with a total score of 147+11 hits, while the 2008 Olympic Champion Hancock (USA) and Denmark’s Andres Golding, 26, kept on shooting for the Bronze.  After an endless back and forth on station four, it was Vincent Hancock who claimed the Bronze medal with a total score of 147+38 hits, leaving Golding in fourth with a score of 147+37 targets.

Following them, UAE’s Saeed Almaktoum closed the round in sixth place with a total score of 143 hits. The 33-year old shooter, who just changed his shotgun to a spectacular custom made Holland&Holland, had participated in his last ISSF final round in 2007, at the World Cup stage held in Maribor.

Cyprus’ Achilleos secured Gold at his first World Cup Stage of the year. Preparing for the World Championship and the Commonwealth Games, the 29-year old athlete had skipped Acapulco and Beijing.

The 2007 World Champion, Cyprus’ Georgios Achielleos, secured the Skeet Men Gold medal at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup Stage in Dorset. The 29-year old athlete finished in first place with a total score of 146 (123+23) hits, coming back atop of an ISSF podium one year after his victory at the 2009 World Cup in San Marino.

Making into the final with a qualification score of 123 hits, Achielleos moved into the lead after the fourth station. Missing just two targets, the Cypriot champion cleared the final with a score of 23 hits out of 25 targets, climbing atop of the podium with a total score of 146 hits to secure the fourth ISSF World Cup Gold medal of his career.

“Today’s targets have been difficult for everybody. All the shooters complained about them: targets seem to be harder than usual.” Said Achielleos after the match.

“I was really focused anyway, I tried not to think about it… I had been working hard for this final and I think I deserved the medal!” Added Achielleos “This is my first World Cup Stage of the year. We skipped Acapulco and Beijing, as we will take part in the Commonwealth Games, in October, and therefore we started a little bit later: the season is long, this year.”

Following him, Greece’s Efthimios Mitas, 24, claimed Silver with 145 hits, outdoing by 4 to 3 targets Russia’s Valery Shomin in a shoot-off for the second step of the podium. Mitas had never won an ISSF medal before, and his best placement in an ISSF World Cup had been a sixth place at last year’s World Cup in Cairo (EGY).

Valery Shomin, who had squeezed into the final match throughout a shoot-off with a qualification score of 122+8 hits, scored 23 targets during the final match. Loosing the second shoot-off of his match against Mitas, the 38-year old Russian athlete landed in third place, securing Bronze with a total score of 145+3 hits.

Today’s final did not turn into a lucky match for the 2008 Olympic Champion, the 21-year old American shooter Vincent Hancock. Making it into the final tied to Achilleos with a qualification score of 123 hits, the young champion dropped four targets throughout the final, finishing in fourth with 144+5 hits, after outdoing China’s Wang Ying in a shoot-off.

After winning the first two World Cup Stages of the year in Acapulco and Beijing, he current number one in the world in this event, Norway’s Tore Brovold, finished in eighteenth place, with a score of 119 hits. “I had not enough time to recharge the batteries – Said Brovold – I passed a week in Beijing, after the last World Cup, due to the volcanic cloud. I could not rest and train between the two Cups.” Explained the Norwegian athlete, who will compete in the next ISSF World Cup Stage, in Lonato (ITA) in June.

The Norwegian athlete claimed his second, consecutive, ISSF World Cup Skeet Gold medal. With a final score of 149 hits, he turned out to be unreachable for his opponents. Ukraine’s Milchev and Italy’s Lodde closed in second and third place with a total score of 146 targets.

It was a great day today for the 2008 Olympic Silver medallist Tore Brovold, who won his second consecutive ISSF World Cup Gold medal of the season with a total score of 149 targets at the 2010 ISSF World Cup in Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun events in Beijing.

Brovold built up his victory starting from the qualifications, entering into the final with an excellent qualification score of 124 targets, and with two targets of advantage on the other finalists. During the final match, the Norwegian shooter did not miss a single target, clearing the eight stations with 25 hits out of 25 targets, and claiming Gold with a total score of 149 hits.

Tore Brovold, 39, is currently ranked second in the world, and stands as the best Skeet shooter of the 2010 season. He started off by winning Gold at the first World Cup Stage of the year, in Acapulco (MEX), and repeated himself here in Beijing, at the second 2010 World Cup Stage. The next two World Cup Stages of Dorset (GBR) and Lonato (ITA) divide him from the 2010 ISSF World Championship in all events, where the first Olympic Quota Places for the 2012 Olympic Games will be distributed to the best performers. There Brovold will meet some of the best Skeet shooters of the World, including USA’s Vincent Hancock, the 2008 Olympic Champion, who did not participate here in Beijing.

While Brovold was running for today’s Gold, two shooters animated the fight for Silver behind him. The 2000 Olympic Champion Mikola Milchev of Ukraine and the first time finalist Luigi Lodde of Italy duelled for the second spot of the podium right to the last clay.

The two athletes qualified for the final tied with a score of 122 hits, and both hit 24 clays during the final round, ending up tied in second place with a total score of 146 targets. In the following shoot-off, Lodde missed a target of the very first double, leaving the second step of the podium to Milchev, who hit both claiming Silver. Lodde ended up with the Bronze, his first ISSF medal ever with 146+1 hits.

The Chinese hope Dun Yueheng, 26, a first time finalist, ended up in fourth place with a total score of 144 hits (120+24), while Germany’s Tino Wenzel closed the round in fifth with 143 targets after outdoing UAE’s Saif Bin Futtias 4 to 3 hits in shoot-off.

Norway’s Olympic Silver medallist Tore Brovold secured the first Skeet Gold medal of the season, outdoing USA’s McLelland in a shoot-off. 2000 Olympic Champion Milchev finished in third, while the reigning champion Hancock closed in fourth.

The Olympic Silver medallist of Beijing, Norway’s Tore Brovold, won the Skeet Men Gold medal at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Acapulco (MEX), today. The 39-year old athlete started the 2010 season in best possible way, going back on the highest step of an ISSF World Cup after missing the Gold since six years.

“It was my time, today. I had won my last World Cup Gold medal six years ago!” Said Brovold after the final match. The Norwegian shooter, a world record holder and a two times World Cup Final winner, had indeed claimed his last ISSF WC Gold at the 2004 pre-Olympic World Cup in Athens.

Starting today’s final in the lead tied to USA’s Randal McLelland with a qualification score of 124 hits, Brovold build up his victory since the first stations, shooting solidly and completing the final with a perfect score of 25 hits out of 25 targets. “I though I could make it right after clearing the fourth station” he said “But you never know. I had to hit all the final targets, to climb the podium. Randal is a young shooter, and he was shooting extremely good today. The range? Good, but the background is a little but difficult, and today’s wind made it even more difficult.”

McLelland duelled with Brovold right to the end, hitting all the final targets as well. The fight between the two athletes continued in a shoot-off for the Gold medal. Keeping the focus, Brovold outdid McLelland 2 to 1 hits, securing Gold with a total score of 149 hits + 2 targets in the shoot-off.

Randal McLelland, 24, a first time finalist, secured Silver with a total score of 149 hits + 1 targets in the shoot-off, claiming his first International medal in a windy Mexican afternoon. “My goals this year are to be on the podium at the next World Cups, and to win the World Championship!” said the 24-year old American shooter, mentioning the 2010 ISSF World Championship, that will take place in Munich starting from the 29^th of July. There, the first 2012 Olympic Games Quota Places will be awarded to the best performers.

Today’s Bronze medal went to the 2000 Olympic Champion, the Ukraine shooter Mikola Milchev. Walking into the final with 123 qualification targets, the 42-year old shooter climbed up the scoreboard by hitting 24 targets during the final, and finished on the podium with a total score of 147 clays. Always ranking between the bests, he had won his last ISSF World Cup Gold last year, in Cairo.

It turned out to be an unlucky match for the 2008 Olympic Champion of Beijing, McLelland’s teammate Vincent Hancock, the current leader of the World Ranking. Struggling through the qualifications, Hancock made it into the final with a qualification score of 122 hits, finishing then in fourth place after outdoing Netherland’s Jan-Cor Greef in a shoot-off. Last year, 20-year old Hancock had won the ISSF World Championship held in Maribor, and a Silver medal at the ISSF World Cup Final in Beijing.