USA’s Olympic multi-medallist won the Skeet Women event with 98 hits, after equalling the World Record of 74 hits out of 75 targets during the qualifications. Two Chinese shooters followed her in second and third place, winning the applauses of the home crowd.
The two-time Olympic Champion Kimberly Rhode of the USA won today’s Skeet Women final at the ISSF World Cup in all events in Beijing, equalling the World Record of 74 hits out of 75 targets during the qualifications. Rhode had won an Olympic Silver medal here in Beijing two years ago, during the 2008 Games.
The 30-year old American shooter made it into today’s final match with the highest qualification score, 74 hits, equalling the World Record and walking into the match with a two-target head start on her followers. Hitting 24 out of 25 targets throughout the final round, she ended up in first place with a total score of 98 hits, grabbing her second World Cup Gold medal of the year. Rhode had indeed finished on the highest step of the podium also at the first World Cup Stage of the season, in Acapulco (MEX), at the beginning of March.
Chiense spectators celebrated the home shooters Shi Hong Yan and Wei Ning, finishing in second and third place, respectively.
37-year old Shi, who had won her last ISSF medal at the 2006 World Cup in Quingyuan City, entered into the final match with a qualification score of 72 hits, finishing then on the podium with a total score of 96 hits after dropping one target on the third station.
The 2004 Olympic Silver medallist Wei Ning, 27, had also qualified for the final round with 72 hits. Dropping four targets throughout the final round, she ended up in third place tied to Russia’s Svetlana Demina with a final score of 93 hits. In the following shoot-off, Wei outdid Demina 2 to 1 hits, winning her twelve ISSF World Cup medal since 2001.
Svetlana Demina, celebrating her birthday on the day of the final, finished in fourth place with a total score of 93+1 hits, followed by the third Chinese finalist Yu Xiumin with 92 hits and by the second-time finalist Monika Zemkova of Slovakia with 89 hits.