Italy’s Valerio GRAZINI won the Trap Men Junior competition, securing the first Gold medal of the 2009 ISSF Shotgun World Championship of Maribor.
The 16-year old Italian shooter Valerio GRAZINI claimed the first place on the Trap Men Junior podium with a final score of 122 hits out of 125 targets, concluding his match with a perfect game of 25 hits on his last round.
GRAZINI fought neck and neck against the 19-year old Junior European Champion Paco MACHADO of Spain, who ended up in second with a total score of 121 hits after dropping a fatal target on his last round.
“This is my first international medal! It has been great!” Said GRAZINI right after the last round “I had won two team awards at the European Championships, but this is my first individual podium!”
“I did not shoot at my best during the training, so I was kind of scared… but then confidence started peaking through the competition, and I found my best condition. Actually, my usual average is not that high. 122 targets is a great score for me! The shooting range seems excellent, so were the targets!” concluded GRAZINI.
Paco MACHADO, 19, coming from a victory at July’s European Championship of Osijek, finished in second place, winning Silver with a total score of 121 hits. The Bronze medal went to Germany’s Daniel WIESEMANN, 19-year old, participating in his first ISSF World Championship. WEISSMAN climbed upon the podium with a total score of 120 hits after winning 1 to 0 a shoot-off against Portugal’s Pedro Jorge Nun PARREIRA, who eventually finished in fourth place.
Team's competition: Grazini's Italy shot Gold
Grazini's 122-target final score lifted the Italian team (Grazini, Fanali and Fioravanti) on the highest step of the teams' podium. The Italian shooters won Gold with an overall score of 354 targets.
The United States of America finished in second place, securing Silver with the total score of 347 targets shot by Collin Craig Wietfeldt, Jacob Turner and Seth Politi.
The Trap Men Junior teams' Bronze medal went to Portugal (Perreira, Diogo Rosario and Sousa Campos), with a total score of 346 targets, turning out to be only one target shy of tying the USA in second place.