-10 to the Games. Will Chen confirm her 25m Pistol Women title?

The Olympic Champion is back, and wants that Gold again. This could be the summary of the 25m Pistol Women event, which is going to take place on the 1^st of August in London. The current Olympic Champion, China’s Chen Ying, took some time off from shooting after winning the title in her homeland, Beijing, in 2008. She did not compete in 2009 and 2010, as she had a baby and dedicated some time to her family. But 2011 was the year of her great comeback: winning a Gold medal at the ISSF World Cup in Fort Benning with an equaled World Record and finishing in third at the ISSF World Cup Final in Wroclaw, she climbed back up the world ranking.

She’s not shy and you can tell from her statements: “I want to win at the London Olympics. I have been away for a while, but I can still shoot well, and I will compete for the most valuable medal,” she said last year. This year she won the World Cup in Munich, probably the toughest event, claiming again to be ready for the Games.

But other champions have had time to grow while she was away. Czech Olympic medalist Lenka Maruskova leads the World Ranking and ISSF NEWS Magazine’s “Super 25 Chart” after competing in 13 ISSF events, making it to 11 finals, finishing on 7 podiums and winning 1 event. She is simply the best, statistic-wise, while Chen has still the best personal score, with 593 points scored in qualifications and 208.4 points scored in finals.

Behind them, Georgian shooter Nino Salukvadze, at her seventh participation since 1988, is ready to challenge them after winning two ISSF events in the last Olympic cycle. The 2008 Olympic Silver medalist, Germany’s Munkhbayar Dorjsuren, has also being shooting well during the last period, with 4 podiums and 2 victories out of 15 participations in ISSF events since 2009.

So, no surprises? Well, somebody’s ready to turn the tables of the match, and she’s not even 20-year old. Korea’s Kim Jang Mi, the current Youth Olympic Games champion, is ready to step up and to take the Gold in the 25m Pistol Women event. At the pre-Olympic World Cup in London last April, she showed what it means to be full of fresh energy. Winning Gold with more than 5 points of advantage over her followers, she set a new Final World Record of 796.9 points, and sent out a clear message: “see you at the Olympic Games!”

25m Pistol Women

Date of the Final in London: Wednesday, 01.08.2012 at 15:30

Reigning Olympic Medallists

Current World Ranking Leaders

Current World Record Holder

Current Olympic Record Holder

ISSF NEWS Magazine “Super25 Chart”