The 2012 ISSF World Cup in London continued today with the 50m Rifle Prone Men final, taking place in a cold and windy day: difficult weather conditions for the athletes, laying on the London 2012 Olympic venue’s lines, and trying to compensate the breeze effecting their shots.
Sergei Martynov, the Rifle Prone #1 shooter in the world, secured the Prone's brightest medal once again, starting the new season like he had closed the previous one: in first place.
Entering the final in first with 595 points, tied to Denmark’s Grinmmel, he finished in second after the first shots, climbing then back in the leadership after Grimmel shot twice in the ninth ring.
Scoring 104.9 points in the final, Matrynov totalized 699.9 points, winning the first Gold medal of the season, and securing his leadership atop of the world raking.
“It’s normal form me, the results are not really exciting here, the scores are not so good.” The winner said, showing his proverbial self-control.
The two-time ISSF World Champion and six-time World Cup Final winner has been winning all, in the lat 25 years. The only medal missing from Martynov’s medals showcase is the Olympic Gold: the sharpshooter finished twice in third place, in 2000 and 2004, and made it to five Olympic final matches, never finding his way to the highest step of the podium. Turning 44 this year, Martynov is not considering retirement an option, and he will try to play his best aces this summer, on the Royal Artillery Barracks Olympic lines.
Denmark’s 36-year old finalist Torben Grimmel, the Olympic Silver medallist of Sydney 2000, finished in second place and secured the Silver with a total of 698.7 points (595+103.7), winning his ninth ISSF World Cup medals in the last 15 years.
The Bronze medal went to the American shooter Michael McPhail, 30, the 2011 Pan American Champion. McPhail won the duel for the podium against Norway’s Bogar in the second half of the match, closing the competition with 698.6 points (594+104.6). The American finalist had won his last ISSF World Cup medal in 2010, when he secured a Gold in Belgrade.
The first time finalist, Stian Bogar, a 35-year old Norwegian finalist who started competing internationally in the frame of the ISSF competitions just a couple of years ago, finished in fourth with 698.5 points (594+104.5). He was followed by the Israeli sharpshooter Guy Starik, who did not miss the chance to secure a spot in the final, finishing then in fifth with 696.5 points (594+102.5).