The 25-year old Italian shooter won Gold with a thin margin of 0.2 points on the 2000 Olympic Champion Franck Dumoulin. Badaracchi aims now to the World Championship, and to the furst 2012 Olympic Quota Places.
It was Italy’s Mauro Badaracchi who won today’s 10m Air Pistol Men event, in the second competition day of the ISSF World Cup in Rifle and Pistol events in Belgrade (SRB).
The Italian shooter landed on the highest step of the podium with a total score of 685.9 points, beating France’s Franck Dumoulin by 0.2 points, and Russia’s Vladimir Isakov by 1.1 points.
“I made a couple of mistakes during the final, and I did not believe that I was in the lead, after the last shot. I was just hoping to be in the top three… the final result surprised me!” said Badaracchi right after the last shot. The 25-year old shooter from Rome had started the match in the lead with the highest qualification score of 586 points, but then he had been shooting in the ninth ring more then once throughout the final round.
“This was the first time I ever started a final in first place. I must confess that I was nervous, I was feeling the pressure and shaking a little bit” explained the Gold medallist, who closed the final round with a disappointing 9.2 shot, which after all turned out to be enough to keep the France shooter Dumoulin 0.2 points behind him.
“I am so happy to be back on the highest step of an ISSF podium, two years after my first victory – concluded the Italian athlete, who had won his first (and last) ISSF Gold at the 2008 World Cup held in Rio de Janeiro – I would like to dedicate this victory to my coach Marco Masetti and to my family!”
“I am looking forward to the World Championship, now – added Badaracchi before wearing the Gold – I hope that this medal will help me to give my best there, where the first 2012 Olympic Quota Places will be assigned!”.
Badaracchi’s victory upset the 2000 Olympic Champion, France’s 37-year old ISSF multi-medallist Franck Dumoulin, who landed on the second step of the podium. The French champion had started the match in third place with a qualification score of 585 points. Then, firing today’s highest final score, 100.7 points, he climbed up in second, eventually claiming the Silver with a total of 685.7 points, jut 0.2 points less then what scored by Badaracchi.
The 2004 Olympic Bronze medallist, Russia’s 40-year old ace shooter Vladimir Isakov, followed them in third place with a total score of 684.8 points. The Russian shooter, who had started in second place, fought against Dumoulin right to the last shot, sliding then in third place as he fired a frustrating tenth shot of 9.5 points.
USA’s Daryl Szarenski, who had finished in the spotlight during the previous three ISSF World Cup stages in Sydney, Beijing and Fort Benning, where he had won two Gold, one Silver and one Bronze medals, ended up today’s final in fourth place. Finishing with a total score of 683.5 points, he missed the podium by 1.3 points. Another top shooter, Serbia’s Damir Mikec, 26, the current World Ranke leader in this event, participated in the final, eventually finishing in fifth place behind Szarenski. The home shooter, who had won the Gold at the previous World Cup stage in Fort Benning and the Silver at the World Cup stage in Beijing, closed today’s round with a total score of 682.9 points.