Jamie Beyerle and Amy Sowash won Gold and Silver defeating the wind at today’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women final. France and Poland secured the Olympic Quota Places.
The wind has been a true protagonist of today’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women final, at the 2011 ISSF Combined World Cup in Sydney. A strong breeze blowing from the front-right side of the shooting range, twisting right in front of the targets. All the finalists had problems to hit the 10th ring, today. All but one: USA’s Jamie Bayerle, the winner of the match, who finished upon the podium with a total score of 685.3 (589+96.3) points, almost not affected by the gusts.
“It has been a crazy final, with the wind coming form the right side and into the hall. I hadn’t seen such a match since a while!” Beyerle said right after the final “The wind was affecting the body, not only the shots. And shooting in standing position you can’t compensate it much.”
“Generally, when it’s windy, you look thru and wait for the target to look good. Not today. It never looked good with this wind!” Added Beyerle, who finished atop of the podium with 8.9 points of advantage on the Silver medallist, her teammate Amy Sowash.
“Two Americans on the podium? Phenomenal!” Commented Beyerle, stepping on the podium next Sowash, 26, who secured the Silver medal with a total of 676.4 (586+90.4) points.
Beyerle started the new shooting season as she had finished the previous one: in the lead. The 26-year old American shooter had indeed won the 2010 ISSF World Cup Final held in Munich, last October, and she starts the 2011 season by winning Gold at the first Rifle&Pistol World Cup Stage of the year, in Sydney, today.
It was China’s Yi Siling who won the Bronze medal, finishing in third place with a total score of 675.9 (581+94.9) points. The 21-year old air rifle world champion shot with confidence in the wind. Climbing up the scoreboard from the seventh place she had on the start-list after the qualifications, she left behind Germany’s top shooter Barbara Lechner, who closed the match in fourth with 673.8 (582+91.8) points.
Olympic Quota Places to France and Poland
As the first four countries had already filled their Quota Places plan for this event, the two Olympic Quota Places to be assigned in this event went to France and Poland. It was Laurence Brize, 34, who secured the first Quota for France, by finishing in fifth place with 670.5 (581+89.5) points. At the same time, the second Quota went to Poland’s Sylwia Bogacka, a 29-year old two-time Olympian, who closed the match in sixth with 668.9 (582+86.9) points.