News

Finals 10m Air Rifle Women

Croatia's Pejcic won the 10m Air Rifle Women final

ISSF World Cup Rifle / Pistol / Shotgun · Sydney, AUS

Three Olympic Quota Places were awarded to the medallists: Croatia’s Pejcic, Iran’s Ahmadi and Ukraine’s Tykhova.

The 2008 Olympic Bronze medallist, Croatia’s Snjezana Pejcic won the opening match of the 2011 ISSF World Cup in Sydney, the 10m Air Rifle Women event.

 

The Croatian shooter secured the Gold medal and an Olympic Quota place with a total score of 502.6 points, winning a close final played on the thin line of tenths. Entering the final match in the lead with a qualification score of 399 hits, the 28-year old shooter marked 103.6 points throughout the final round, finishing on the highest step of the podium with 0.4 points of advantage on her followers.

 

Three Olympic Quota places had to be assigned at today’s 10m Air Rifle Women Final, the first match of this year’s ISSF Combined World Cup in Sydney, Australia.

 

The second Quota and the Silver medal went to Iran’s Elaheh Amadi, an unexpected protagonist of today’s match. The 28-year old athlete, ranked 48th in the world, had never made it to a World Cup final round, before. Qualified with 399 points, tied to Pejcic, she shot consistently throughout the whole match, securing a spot on the podium with a total of 502.2 points.

 

The 2010 European Champion, Serbia’s Andrea Arsovic, also had started the match with the highest qualification score, 399 points. But, after the first five shots, the Serbian shooter sled down in the placements, closing her round in sixth place with a frustrating 9.6 last shot.

 

The third Olympic Quota place went so to Ukraine’s flag bearer Darya Tykhova, 25-year old, who did not miss the chance to pocket the Bronze medal. The young athlete started the round with a qualification score of 398 points, just one point behind the leading trio. But then, shooting a consistent final of 103.6 points, she climbed up in third, finishing on the podium with 501.7 points. Tykhova, a 2005 Junior European Champion, had already qualified to represent Ukraine at the 2008 Games, finishing then in twentieth place.

 

The six-time World Cup medallist Wu Liuxi of China closed the match in fourth with 501.2 points. She had already won an Olympic Quota at last year’s ISSF World Championship in Munich. Her 22-year old teammate Xie Jieqiong followed in fifth place with 501.1 points, while Czech Republic’s Adela Sykorova and Germany’s Barbara Lechner ended up in seventh and sixth palce with 500.5 and 499.6 points, respectively.

 

More than 700 shooters coming from 68 countries are competing in these days in Sydney, where the second leg of this year’s ISSF World Cup Series is held. The competition, which started today, will last right to the 31st of March. Fifteen events are scheduled, and 34 Olympic Quota places, the “entrance tikets” to the Games” will be assigned throughout the championship.

 

The next medal match, the 10m Air Pistol  Women final, will take place this afternoon, at 4.40 PM Sydney Time (GMT+11). Follow the competition on www.issf-sports.org

 

Marco Dalla Dea

 

ISSF Partners