Russia’s Vitaly Fokeev won the Double Trap Men Gold medal setting a new World Record. Great Britain’s Wilson followed him securing Silver “Thanks to the coaching of Dubai’s Al Maktoum”. Both were awarded an Olympic Quota Place, an entrance ticket to the next Games.
The first ISSF Shogun World Cup of the year started in the best possible way, with a new World Record set by Russia’s Vitaly Fokeev, who won today’s Double Trap Men final also securing an Olympic Pass for London.
The 37-year old Russian athlete turned out to be unstoppable, today. With a qualification score of 148 hits, Fokeev set indeed a new World Record, shattering the previous 147 marked by Australia’s Olympic Champion Diamond back in 1998.
Then, walking into the final with a head-start of 5 targets, Fokeev turned out to be unreachable, and finished on the highest step of the podium with a total of 194 hits. Next to the Gold medal, the Russian shooter was awarded an Olympic Quota Place, a ticket to the next Olympics.
“This is the best possible outcome: a Gold medal, the record and a Quota Place! – The winner said right after the final. – I am glad that the Russian team has now two Quotas (the first one won by Fokeev teammate’s Mosin at the 2010 ISSF World Championship). It’s going to be easier for us, from now on.”
The second Olympic Quota spot went to Great Britain’s Peter Robert Russell Wilson, from Dorset. The 25-year old athlete secured the Silver medal with a total score of 190 (142+48) hits.
Wilson, who has squeezed into the final by winning a four-way shoot-off with eight hits, shot the highest score of today’s final, 48 hits. “I have been shooting great in these days. I marked 148 targets yesterday. So I was hoping for such a result.” Wilson said.
The young shooter, who started competing internationally just four years ago, shared the merit of today’s final with his coach, the 2004 Olympic Champion Ahmed Al Maktoum, the Prince of Dubai “When I first met him, we talked about squash.” Wilson said “He was a professional squash player, before winning the Olympics in 2004. And I was playing squash a lot.”
“He started coaching me after the 2008 Games, when he decided to stop shooting. - Wilson added - I have been training in Dubai a lot, and you have seen the results, today.”
Bronze went to USA’s Joshua Richmond, with 189 hits. The American shooter, had already secured an Olympic Quota Place last Augus, as he had won the 2010 ISSF World Championship in Munich. Following him, Italy’s Marco Innocenti and Francesco D’Aniello finished in fourth and fifth place, with 187 and 184 points respectively, while it was Hungary’s Roland Gerebics who closed the match in sixth with184 hits.