The 2004 Olympic Champion Olena Kostevych of Ukraine won the 10m Air Pistol Women event, today, at the 2011 ISSF Rifle & Pistol World Cup in Fort Benning, USA.
Entering today’s final round in the lead, with a qualification score of 389 points, Kostevych turned out to be unbeatable during the medal match. Scoring 100.4 points, she left her closest opponent – India’s Annu Raj Singh – almost three points behind her, winning the Gold medal with a total score of 489.4 points.
The 26-year old shooter nailed her third consecutive ISSF World Cup medal out of three World Cup Stages, this year. Starting off the season with a Bronze medal in Sydney, she climbed upon the second step of the podium winning a Silver in Changwon, and finished in the lead here in Fort Benning, where she had never won a medal, before.
After missing from the top ISSF rankings for a few years, Kostevich is now back in the world ranking’s top-3. With an Olympic Quota Place secured at the first world cup of the year in Sydney, and four 2011 ISSF medals around her neck, she clearly points her sights to London 2012.
Today’s Silver medal went to India’s finalist Annu Raj Singh, who had never won an ISSF World Cup medal, before. Qualified with 389 points, tied to Kostevych, the 27-year old pistol shooter ended up in second place with a total score of 486.6 points, after scoring 97.6 points in the final.
Singh, ranked 33rd in the world before today’s final, also secured an Olympic Quota Place – a ticket to London 2012 – for her country.
The second Olympic Quota Place to be assigned by the ISSF today went to the Bronze medallist, the 2011 European Champion Celine Goberville of France, who closed the match in third place with a total score of 486.3 (388+98.3) points – just 0.3 points far from the Silver.
Following her, the 2010 World Championship Gold and Bronze medallists, Kira Klimova of Russia and Viktoria Chaika of Belarus placed in fourth and fifth place with 485.8 and 483.8 points, respectively.
Finishing in sixth palce with 483.5 (388+95.5) points, it was Athina Douka of Greece who secured the third Olympic Quota Place.
More than 600 athletes coming form 70 countries are participating in the third ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup Stage of the year, held on the lines of the shooting range of Fort Benning, GA, USA from the 15th to the 23rd of May.
The next medal match, the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women event, will take place tomorrow, at 12.30 (GMT -4).