Double Trap Men – D’Aniello won his second, consecutive, title.

Italy’s Francesco D’ANIELLO won his second consecutive World Champion title, confirming the results of the 2007 World Championship of Nicosia (CYP).

Beijing’s Olympic Silver medallist D’ANIELLO, 40, won today’s final match with a total score of 190 hits. After qualifying for the medal match in the lead with 146 his, the Italian shooter score 44 out of 50 targets in the final round, finishing on the highest step of the podium with four targets of advantage on his followers

“I won the European Championship two weeks ago, and now I confirmed the 2007 World Champion title. I wonted to be the number one, and I made it, I feel great!” said D’ANIELLO after his last double. The Italian shooter had won the European Championships of Osijek just two weeks ago, and walked into this competition as the reigning World Champion.


The 40-year old Champion started competing four years ago.
D’ANIELLO apparently did not realize he was in the lead right to the last double. “I heard the others were missing, and I knew I had some targets of advantage. I relaxed a little bit, but I did not know how far they were. Shooting the last two targets, I saw my teammates jumping up, and I understood I had made it!”

D’ANIELLO, 40-year old, started competing in 2005, at the age of 36 years. In the last four years, he climbed the international rankings, winning two ISSF World Cup stages, the Olympic Silver in Beijing, and two World Championships Gold medals. “My 5-year old son told me “dad, break ‘all the targets”, I did not brake ‘em all, but I am glad I am bringing him back a medal…”


D’Aniello faced USA, today’s strongest team.
Fighting for a spot on the podium, D’ANIELLO met three American athletes in the final round, Jeffrey HOLGUIN, Walton ELLER and Joshua RICHMOND, winners of the team Gold with an equalled World Record of 430 targets. “The USA team is really strong. They are excellent shooters. Facing the Olympic Champion Eller and his teammate Holguin in the final brought me back to the Olympic Final of Beijing. I faced the best shooters of the world, today. It has not been easy….” D’ANIELLO concluded.

Italy (D’ANIELLO, Claudio FRANZONI, Daniele DI SPIGNO placed in second winning the team Silver with an overall score of 421 targets, while team Bronze went to Great Britain (Steven SCOTT, Richard FAULDS, Steven WALTON) with 418 targets.


Silver medal to USA’s Holguin
Silver went to USA’s Jeffery HOLGUIN, 30-year old. HOLGUIN ended up with a total score of 186 targets, and secured the medal by winning 2 to 0 a shoot-off against the Chinese finalist WANG Nan. HOLGUIN, a 2008 Olympic finalist of Beijing, had won his last ISSF medal in 2008, when he had shot a Bronze at the ISSF World Cup stage of Kerrville (USA).

WANG Nan, 31, from the People’s Republic of China, grabbed Bronze with a total score of 186 +0 targets, after loosing the shoot-off for Silver against USA’s Jeffery HOLGUIN.


Olympic Champion Eller finished in fourth
Beijing’s Olympic Champion, Glenn Eller, finished in fourth place just one target behind the medallists, with a total score of 185 hits. The 27-year old American champion qualified for the final with a score of 143 targets, dropping then 8 targets during the final match. “The weather changed, but it did not affect our match. Targets made it difficult. The targets they used for this final were really hard to break, I am 100% sure about it.”

Today’s youngest finalist, Eller’s 23-year old temmate Joshua RICHMOND (USA) placed in fifth with 183 +5 targets after outdoing India’s Ronjan SODHI in a shoot-off.