Brazil’s Julio Almeida claimed his first ISSF world championship title in Changwon, today, as he climbed atop of the 25m Center Fire Pistol Men event’s podium.
The 49-year old veteran, a two-time Olympian, had won two medals at the ISSF World Championship in Munich, in 2010, and finished out of the podium at the following 2014 Championship in Granada.
Today, with 591 points, he bested the Rapid Fire Olympic Champion Christian Reitz of Germany, who closed the competition in second place with 588 points. The 2010 Youth Olympic Games champion Pavlo Korostylov joined them on the podium, begging bronze with 586 points, disappointing the home shooter Kim Young Min of the Republic of Korea, who finished in fourth.
Kim’s effort nevertheless contributed to the Republic of Korea’s success in the Team event. His scores, added to the results of Kim Jinil and of Hang Dae Kyu, summed up to a team score of 1743 points, placing the host country atop of the podium.
Team France (Clement Bessaguet, Alban Lucien Pierson and Boris Artaud) secured silver with 1737 points, while it was the People’s Republic of China that pocketed the team bronze, with 1735 points scored by Yao Zhaonan, Jin Yongde and Zhao Xiankun.