Another duel turned the lights one the Tiro a Segno Nazionale shooting range of Milan – where the ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup Stage 3 is taking place in these days – at today’s 25m Pistol Women event.
The 2004 Air Pistol Olympic Champion Olena KOstevych of Ukraine met once again her #1 opponent Lenka Maruskova of Czech Republic, a 2004 Olympic Silver medallist in this event.
It was Olena Kostevych won today’s 25m Pistol Women event, ruling the final match from the first to the last competition series. Qualified with 589 points, and with three points of advantage over her followers, she had no problem in managing her lead. Shooting 206.5 points in the final match, she pocketed the Gold medal with a total score of 795.5 points.
Too far from Kostevych after the qualifications, Czech Republic’s Olympic hope Lenka Maruskova started off her final in seventh place, with 582 points after a qualification shoot-off. But her final turned into an exceptional race, as the 27-year old shooter – ranked 1st in the world in this event – scored 207.2 points climbing up from the 7th to the 2nd place, winning the Silver medal with 789.2 points.
Again on the podium together
The two shooters had met already at the ISSF Pre-Olympic World Cup in London in April – finishing on the podium together in the Air Pistol event - and duelled in the 10m Air Pistol Women event here in Milan just two days ago, when Kostevych won Gold beating Maruskova by 2 points. Leading the world rankings in the women’s pistol events, and showing great performances through the last international meetings, they both finished in the list of the favourites for the XXX Olympic Games. They both know what is all about, as they have been finishing under the Olympic spotlights in Athens. But that was 8 years ago. What’s going to happen in London, next July? The two Pistol Women titles are in the sights of both Kostevych and Maruskova. So far, they have been sharing the lights of glory, but there will be space for only one champion, at the RAB Olympic venue.
Bronze medal to Sekaric
One of the greatest Pistol shooters of all time, Jasna Sekaric of Serbia, a five-time Olympic medallist ranked 11th in the world nowadays, won the Bronze medal. Qualified with 583 points in sixth place, Sekaric climbed up in third place by shooting today’s third highest score in the final, 205.2 points, which lifted her up on the podium with a total score of 788.2 points. Behind her, another Olympic protagonist, Gerogia’s Nino Salukvadze, closed her match in fourth with 788.1 (584+204.1) points, while France’s young promise Celine Goverville, ranked third in the world in this events, ended up in fifth with 786.6 (586+200.6) points. Following her, the 2008 Olympic Bronze medallist Munkhbayar Dorjsuren of Germany placed in sixth with 786.3 (583+203.3) points. Belarus’ Viktoria Chaika and Bulgaria’s Antonaeta Boneva closed the match in seventh and eighth place, respectively.
The ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup Stage in Milan continues tomorrow with 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men Final taking place at 15.15 (GMT+1).