News

Final 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men

25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men – Russia’s Ekimov won the test event

ISSF World Cup Final Rifle / Pistol · Munich, GER

A new competition format for the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men was tested during this ISSF World Cup Final in Munich. Russia’s Leonid Ekimov won the test match, followed by Italy Mazzetti and Spain’s Llames.

Today’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men final taking place at the 2010 ISSF World Cup Final in Munich turned into a test event for some innovations that might be adopted in this event in the future.

 

The World Cup Finalists passed through the usual qualification series, entering then a new Semi-Final stage to select the top-6 shooters who moved then to the Final stage.

 

Both in the Semi-Final and in the Final, a new “hit-or-miss” scoring system was adopted instead of the usual “points&decimals” system. Any shot scoring 9.7 or better was counted as a “Hit” (1 point). Any shot under that value as a “Miss” (0 points).

 

The Final was conducted on three layouts (three different 5-target units), with two athletes sharing each layout and shooting alternatively on the same 5-target unit.

 

After four series of five shots, the finalist with the lowest number of hits had to leave the match, while the others kept on fighting for the medals. From there on, after each series, the shooter with the lowest score had to leave the match, until the final duel for the Gold medal.

 

It was the 2008 Olympic Bronze medallist Christian Reitz the first to leave this test Final after the first four series, with 11 hits out of 20 shots. The 2010 World Champion Alexei Klimov of Russia (35), followed him after the fifth series, with 12 hits out of 25 shots. After the third eliminatory series (30 shots), it was Japan’s Akaiama who went out with 19 hits, ending up in fourth place.

 

Then, only three shooters remained in competition fighting for the Gold: Italy’s Riccardo Mazzetti, Spain’s Jeorge Llames and Russia’s Leonid Ekimov.

 

While Mazzetti hit 4 out of 5 targets, totalizing 24 hits, Leonid Ekimov surprised the audience with a perfect final series of the 5 hits. With 22 hits out of 35 shots Spain’s Llamez could not stand their scores, and had to leave the match claiming the Bronze medal.

 

In the following duel for the highest step of the podium, it was the young Russian pistol shooter Ekimov who secured the brightest medal, with a total score of 31 hits out of 35 shots, leaving Mazzetti the Silver medal with a total of 28 hits.

 

“Of course I am happy about this Gold medal!” said Ekimov right after the final “But I am not that sure about this new format…”

 

“I think the new rules are great!” answered the Silver medallist Mazzetti “There’s some extra pressure, we shoot all together, and everybody knows how the other finalists are performing… I think this could be a good way to promote this event and to make it more enjoyable for the spectators.”

 

“It’s a challenge” Mazzetti added “But we are sportsman, and we are here because we like such challenges.”

 

“It was just a test match, but I believe the test proved that there is a chance to make the Rapid Fire Pistol event more exciting for the audience” The ISSF Vice President Gary Anderson said after the final “The reaction of the spectators, and the TV footage of this final, tell us that this event turned into an outstanding show.”

 

Marco Dalla Dea

 

ISSF Partners