Italy’s Ennio Falco did it again. The 42-year old Italian shooter won his fifth World Cup Final title, lifting Italy atop of the medal standing of this World Cup Final in Izmir.
The 1996 Olympic Champion Ennio Falco played the protagonist’s role, at the ISSF World Cup Final in Izmir (TUR). The Italian ace shooter started the qualifications with a perfect 25-hit round, continuing then with four excellent series of 23, 24 and 25 hits, making it into the final round with the highest qualification score of 122 hits with one target of advantage on his followers.
Then, the Italian shooter took it easy “I was not nervous. I peaked for the World Championship at the beginning of August, and I secured an Olympic Quota Place there. So I was shooting without pressure, here at the World Cup Final…” The Italian shooter said immediately after the award ceremony.
Shooting with ease, Falco shattered 25 targets throughout the final match, landing on the highest step of the podium with a total score of 147 hits out of 150 targets, and securing his fifth World Cup Final title. He had won his first Final thirteen years ago, in Lima, in 1997. “It has been a few years ago… Winning the fifth World Cup Title makes me feel great. I never gave up this year, and I gave my best for this 2010 shooting season;” Falco said. “The focus is set on the next Games, now.” The Italian shooter concluded.
The Italian team celebrated his second title won here in Izmir, as the Skeet Women Gold medal went to Falco's teammate Katiuscia Spada, yesterday. "This is a great result for our shooters and our federation. The hard work we have been doing is paying-off!" commented Mr. Luciano Rossi, ISSF Vice-President and President of the Italian Shotgun Shooting Federation.
The Silver medal went to the Danish shooter Andres Golding, who climbed upon the second step of the podium with a total score of 145+2 targets, after outdoing Russia’s Valery Shomin and Greece Nikolas Mavrommatis in a shoot-off.
It was a great satisfaction for the Danish shooter. Golding, a carpenter living in Oslo, had indeed never secured a World Cup medal, before. The 26-year old shooter, coached by the former World Champion Piero Genga, shot with determination hitting 121 targets in the qualifications and 24 targets in the final.
Winning the shoot-off for the Silver medal, he redeemed himself. He had indeed lost a determinant shoot-off and missed an Olympic Quota Place just a few weeks ago, during the final round of the last ISSF World Championship.
The winner of that final, the 2010 World Champion Valery Shomin of Russia secured today’s Bronze medal with 145+1+4 targets, outdoing the Greek shooter Nikolas Mavrommatis 4 to 3 hits. The 39-year old shooter form Moskov, competing with the colures of the CSKA club, had won a World Cup Final in 2006, and two Bronzes in 2000 and 2007.
Norway’s Tore Brovold ended up the match in fifth place with 144 hits (121+23), followed by Italy’s Luigi Lodde who closed the round in sixth with 142 hits (121+21).