Italy's Campriani won the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men event, in spite of a thrilling last shot. He proved once again to be the #1 in the world, almost two years after his victory at the London Games. What's the secret? That's the Italian formula for success.
The 2012 Olympic Champion Niccolò Campriani won today's 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men event, at the 2014 ISSF World Cup Stage in Fort Benning, GA, USA.
The Italian shooter started off the final with an excellent kneeling series, moving then atop of the scoreboard during the standing series, eventually finishing in the lead with a total score of 453.4 points.
A breathtaking last shot of 8.0-point did not stop him. Campriani had built a consistent advantage throughout the medal match, and his final score was still enough to win Gold over China's Kang Hongwei, who closed the match in second with a total of 453.0 points. With 443.1 points, the Bronze medal went to Russia's Nazar Louginets, the 24-year shooter who had won the 10m Air Rifle Men final just two days ago.
“It have been lucky” Campriani admitted, after the medal ceremony. If Kang Hongwei had not fired a disappointing 9.4-point last shot, the final standings could have changed dramatically.
“I am surprised that I did not fire any other 8 during the medal match. I have been shaking a lot during the final. I am not a fast shooter: I need my time to settle down and find the position.”
“Honestly, this medal came unexpected. The Italian team is not even participating in this competition. Petra (Zublasing, ed.) and I were here in the US, as we've been invited to the White House by President Obama along with our teammates of the West Virginia University Rifle Team a couple of weeks ago, so we decided to stay and compete. It has been a good decision.” Campriani explained.
The Italian shooter had closed the 2013 in the best possible way, by winning the ISSF World Cup Final, and he started-off the new season atop of the podium again, here in Fort Benning.
Ranked #1 in the world, Campriani is the man to beat, right now. But is that an advantage? Being in the lead adds extra pressure to the game? “I need to enjoy what I am doing. I am a professional shooter, now. That's something new, and I still have to get used to it.” Campriani said
“My wish for the 2014 season is to smile a little bit more. Shooting sport only works if you're having fun while doing it. I used to, and I want to regain that state of mind.”
“I will try my best to be ready for the ISSF World Championship. That's the most important competition of the year, as it will assign the Olympic Quota Places for Rio 2016. I don't want to speak about results: I just want to shoot in a good way and have fun.”
Can “fun” and “high performances” get along? Is that the Italian formula for success? Campriani thinks so, and he does not need to prove it: there are two Olympic medals shining in his trophy showcase.
The next ISSF World Championship is coming soon. The opening ceremony is set to take place in Granda, Spain, on the 7 of September. Campriani still has five months to refine his formula.