Paderina wins gold at her World Championship debut

Paderina seemed to have her eyes on the prize from the beginning. After qualifying with a 387, she shot a 99.9 in the final to win by more than a point over her next competitor. “I am very happy,” Paderina said after her win. “It is difficult to put into words the feeling. All my hard work has finally paid off.” The work is not over yet, as Paderina’s next goal is to have a successful showing at the Olympic Games in Beijing. She is, however, one step closer, as she has secured her country a quota place with this win.“My next step is to work, work, work,” Paderina added. “I will hopefully make the next Olympic Team, and then produce excellent results at the Games.” Paderina placed fifth in this event at the 2004 Olympic Games. And this win is her first gold medal in any major international event in over two years, with the most recent being a gold at the European Championships in 2004. Hu also marks her World Championship debut with this event, finishing with a 485.2 total score. Hu was tied for first with a 387 qualifying, but shot a 98.2 final score for the silver medal. Chaika, in her third World Championship competition, was able to move up from sixth place to third with a 101.1 final score for a 485.1 total. China’s Fengji Fei remained in a solid fourth place position as she finished with a 484.4. Australia’s Dina Aspandiyarova took fifth with a 483.7, while Mongolia’s Munkzul Tsogbadrah clinched sixth with a 481.2. Both women also won a quota spot for their respective countries. Ying Chen rounded out China’s women’s air team, finishing in seventh with a 481.2. And, in eighth place, Georgia’s Nino Salukvadze shot a 480.3 total score. Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic won the remaining quota places available at this competition.