The People's Repubic of China's
Che Yufei, 16, has won her career's first medal as she came in first at the women's junior skeet event of Lonato.
At the 2015 ISSF Shotgun World Championship in Italy, Che beat
Sydney Carson, the 18-year-old silver medalist of the USA. Carson's teammate
Dania Jo Vizzi, 20, won the bronze.
In the gold medal match, Che beat Carson by 4-3 in a shoot-off. The two shooters had closed the match in a tie with 11 hits each.
Carson caught up with Che in the last station of the match. Che had been in first since the start, her lead growing up to three targets halfway through the match. Then she missed three targets: that gave Carson the chance to get closer - just one target behind Che before the last station.
Che missed her last competition target; Carson hit hers, and the two athletes went into a shoot-off to break the tie. Carson hit her first three targets, but missed her fourth. Che hit them all, and won the gold.
Not only was it Che's first medal ever; Lonato was just her second time competing in an international competition. Before this, she had only been at last year's World Championship in Granada. She had come in ninth.
It was Carson's first medal ever too. Granada 2014 was also her only international appearance before Lonato. She had come in fifth.
In the bronze medal match, Vizzi won easily against Italy's
Francesca Del Prete. Vizzi took the lead early on, and kept it until the end. Del Prete, 18, missed one target in his first station; two in his second; three in his third. Vizzi missed two in the whole match, and won the bronze (14-9).
In the semifinal, Carson came in first as she hit all but one of her targets - 15. Che closed on 13; Del Prete, 12; Vizzi, 11.
Russia's
Fazylzyanova and
Jacob of the USA came, respectively, in 5th (10 hits) and 6th (9).
Although missing the individual gold, the USA won the
team competition. Vizzi, Jacob, and Carson added up to 206 hits, and gave the gold medal to their country.
The Russian Federation followed - Fazylzyanova, but also
Victoria Ostapets and
Ekaterina Filimonova: 192 hits, and a silver medal.
Just two hits behind was Italy, the host country.
Di Marziantonio and
Grieco joined Del Prete on the third step of the podium (190 hits).
"I'm very glad," says gold medalist Che. "I'm thankful to everybody who helped, to my coach."
"Step by step, I hope to have great results."