10m Air Pistol W – 2004 Olympic Champion Kostevich claimed Gold

The 2004 Olympic Champion Olena KOSTEVICH of Ukraine won today’s 10m Air Pistol women competition at the 2009 ISSF World Cup in all events in Munich. The 24-year old shooter entered the final round in the lead with 390 points, and with a final of 99.4 points she closed on the highest step of the podium with a total of 489.4 points. The Ukrainian shooter missed from the highest step of a world cup podium since the 2002 world cup stage in Sydney.

Kostevich had to duel right to the last shot against the winner of this year’s first world cup stage, the Chinese shooter Xin TONG. Tong shot today’s best final, but she could not grab the Gold medal. She had overtaken Kostevich after the ninth shot, but a frustrating last shot of 9.3 points placed her in second. She finished in second secured Silver with 488.6 (385+103.6) points.

Korea celebrated for its third medal won in pistol events here in Munich thanks to 20-year old LEE Ho Lim, who finished in third place with 487.3 (385+99.3) points, winning her second ISSF world cup medal of the season following the Silver medal she pocketed in Changwon last April.

The second Korean finalist, GIM Yun Mi, started the final in third place with a competitive qualification score of 385 points, but she struggled in the final finishing in fifth place with 484.7 points behind India’s Heena SIDHU, fourth with 485.9 points.