The favourite, world’s #1 in the 50m Rifle Prone Men, the who does not smile, Sergei Martynov of Belarus, made it to the final in the lead, equalling the world record of 600 points out of 600.
The 44-year old athlete is competing in the Olympic Games since 1988, he finished twice in third, in 2000 and 2004, while he only closed in eighth during the last Olympics in Beijing. This year, it could be his last chance to finish upon the highest step of the Olympic podium and to earn the only title missing from his impressive medal collection (2 ISSF World Championships, 6 World Cup Finals, 17 World Cups Gold medals).
The numbers are on his side. Throughout the last Olympic cycle, between 2009 and 2012, Martynov participated in 12 ISSF events (World Cup Series and World Championship), and, well… he made it to 12 finals, winning 10 medals, including 7 Gold. His best results of the cycle are also quite impressive: he scored the current World Record of 600 points several times, and shot 105.6 points in his best final.
Following him in today’s final, with 599 points after qualifications, the unexpected Lionel Cox, 31, from Belgium, ranked 17th in the world, whose best placement in career had been a 9th place at the pre-Olympic World Cup here in London, last April.
Three points behind, with 596 points after the qualifications, Olympic multimedallist Rajmond Debevec of Slovenia follows in third place, while 9 shooters are going to shoot-off for five spots in the final after finishing tied with 595 points.
The final match is scheduled to take place at 12.00 London Time. Follow the match on www.london2012.com and on www.issf-sports.org