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Finals 50m Pistol Men

Olympic Champ Jin secured Munich’s 50m Pistol Gold climbing from 8th

ISSF World Cup Rifle / Pistol · Munich, GER

Climbing from the 8th palce, the Korean champion overtook everybody to win his first world cup match since 2011, showing that he is still capable of stealing the show on the path leading to the 2012 Games.

The Olympic Champion, Jing Jong Oh of Korea, won today’s 50m Pistol men final at the ISSF Rifle & Pistol World Cup held at the 1972 Olympic Shooting Range of Munich, climbing up from the eighth place to the highest step of the podium.

 

“Today, I have just been lucky, I think.” The Gold medal winner said, watching at the scoreboard. Starting off his final match in eighth and last place, with the lowest qualification score of 562 points, the 32-year old Korean scored 97.4 in the final to climb up in the lead. His opponents helped him, nailing several 7-point and 8-point shots, and letting him step up in the Gold medal rank with a total score of 659.4 points.

 

“I did not shoot a good competition, and I could climb up from the eighth place thanks to a bit of luck on my side.” Jin added, saying then that the team is trying to peak for the Games. “In fact we are not giving interviews – he added - as we’re trying to concentrate before the Olympic Games.” London is waiting for him: in two months, the Korean champion will have to defend the title he gained in Beijing four years ago.

 

The young Russian’s champion Leonid Ekimov, the 24-year old Silver medallist of the 2011 ISSF World Cup Final, challenged Jin right to the last shot, when he fired a disappointing 6.8-point shot which dragged him down in fourth place, where he closed the match with a total of 657.7 (562+95.7) points.

 

Overtaking him, Serbia’s Damir Mikec secured the Silver medal, confirming to be in great shape after winning the previous ISSF World Cup Stage in Milan, last week.

 

“I hope I will be able to keep on shooting like this for the next two months!” Damir Mikec said right after the final, smiling at the camera.

 

“It has been difficult, but I shot my first 100-point series, at the eliminations, and that boosted me for the competition.” Said the 28-year old Serbian ace-shooter, who scored 658.4 (563+95.4) points to finish upon today’s podium.

 

“I had a couple of bad shots, but this has been a crazy final, positions changing after every shot. I tried not to bother, but I could follow the match shot by shot from the monitors in front of me, so it has not been easy to keep calm and focus only on myself.” Mikec explained.

 

Followin him, just 1 tenth of a point behind, Russia’s Olympic medallist Vladimir Isakov secured the Bronze medal with an overall score of 658.3 (564+94.3) points.

 

Today’s match turned out to be an unlucky final for the home shooter, Germany’s Florian Schmidt. The 26-year old finalist, who had won a world cup Bronze here in Munich in 2008, did not make it to the podium, in spite of qualifying in the lead with 570 points. After scoring 87.2 points in the final he finished indeed in fifth, with a total score of 657.2 points. He was followed by the Thai flag-bearer Jakkrit Panichpatikum, sixth with 656.0 (566+90.0) points, by Belarus’ former Running Target champion Andrei Kazak – seventh with 655.4 (569+86.4) points and by Armenia’s Norayr Bakhtamyan – eighth with 652.6 (563+89.6) points.

Marco Dalla Dea

 

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