Just 24 hours after a last-shot disappointment, AIN's Ilia Marsov made amends today at the ISSF World Cup in Munich, this time beating Norway's Jon-Hermann Hegg to the men's 10m air rifle gold.
Norway would claim their second gold medal in Germany, as Jeanette Hegg Duestad comfortably cruised to the win in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions final for her fourth individual World Cup title.
Men's 10m air rifle
Just yesterday, Ilia Marsov looked close to victory in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions final, with a sizable gap to Jon-Hermann Hegg in second. However, a shock score of 7.5 saw him settle for silver in the end. This time Marsov made sure there was no room for error this time, starting strongly in the first competition stage to comfortably lead China's Olympic champion Sheng Lihao, Jan Lochbihler of Switzerland and Hegg. Amongst those first 10 shots, there were two 10.9s, with two 10.5s being his lowest scores.
Consistent shooting was crucial for him, enjoying his best shots in the third to fifth series of the elimination stage. With four shots remaining, he sat 2.0 in front of Hegg and 2.4 ahead of Sheng. While a blip of 9.8 - his only sub-10 mark of the final - in the penultimate series saw that gap drop to 1.1, he held his composure on his final two shots. 10.1 and 10.0 would be enough in comparison to Hegg's 10.8 and 10.1. It was a fantastic result for Marsov for his first ISSF World Cup gold medal, with a score of 252.3, with Hegg on 252.0.
Sheng, after losing contact with Hegg, would take the bronze medal - overcoming Patrik Jany of Slovakia in the battle for a podium spot. For Jany, it was a week of close misses, after finishing fourth yesterday in the longer range event too. Serbia's Aleksa Rakonjac was impressive on his World Cup debut in fifth ahead of Lochbihler in sixth. Croatia's Petar Gorsa and Jack Rossiter of Australia were seventh and eighth.
Norway would claim their second gold medal in Germany, as Jeanette Hegg Duestad comfortably cruised to the win in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions final for her fourth individual World Cup title.
Men's 10m air rifle
Just yesterday, Ilia Marsov looked close to victory in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions final, with a sizable gap to Jon-Hermann Hegg in second. However, a shock score of 7.5 saw him settle for silver in the end. This time Marsov made sure there was no room for error this time, starting strongly in the first competition stage to comfortably lead China's Olympic champion Sheng Lihao, Jan Lochbihler of Switzerland and Hegg. Amongst those first 10 shots, there were two 10.9s, with two 10.5s being his lowest scores.
Consistent shooting was crucial for him, enjoying his best shots in the third to fifth series of the elimination stage. With four shots remaining, he sat 2.0 in front of Hegg and 2.4 ahead of Sheng. While a blip of 9.8 - his only sub-10 mark of the final - in the penultimate series saw that gap drop to 1.1, he held his composure on his final two shots. 10.1 and 10.0 would be enough in comparison to Hegg's 10.8 and 10.1. It was a fantastic result for Marsov for his first ISSF World Cup gold medal, with a score of 252.3, with Hegg on 252.0.
Sheng, after losing contact with Hegg, would take the bronze medal - overcoming Patrik Jany of Slovakia in the battle for a podium spot. For Jany, it was a week of close misses, after finishing fourth yesterday in the longer range event too. Serbia's Aleksa Rakonjac was impressive on his World Cup debut in fifth ahead of Lochbihler in sixth. Croatia's Petar Gorsa and Jack Rossiter of Australia were seventh and eighth.
Jeanette Hegg Duestad won her fourth ISSF World Cup goldWomen's 50m rifle 3 positions final
Jeanette Hegg Duestad's victory was the standout athlete in the standing section to take the women's 50m rifle 3 positions title. A narrow kneeling section lead over Emely Jaeggi of Switzerland would continue after prone shooting was completed, with Sagen Maddalena of the United States near in third and Sift Kaur Samra from India a gap behind in fourth.
Duestad's quality shone on the standing - first pulling the gap from 0.3 points to 2.1 to Jaeggi after the next 10 shots. This was less about errors in the game of the 16-year-old Swiss athlete - who extended her gap to Maddalena - and more of the quality of the Norwegian. Samra had a quality start to the standing section to draw level with the American.
It also saw the departure of Erendira Barba of Mexico and Sofiya Shulzhenko of Kazakhstan in seventh and eighth. Both of these athletes recorded their best results to date after making their first final at a World Cup event. Agathe Girard from France was in her first final too, finishing sixth, while China's Miao Wanru finished fifth - her joint-best result.
As the single shots started, Duestad matched the scores of Jaeggi and only Samra - who started this section 5.7 points behind the leader - would outscore the Norwegian. Maddalena was unable to keep up with the Indian, ultimately finishing fourth. Samra had plenty of ground to make up and would not get close enough to Jaeggi, settling for bronze.
The gap between Duestad and Jaeggi ended at 2.1, with their total scores being 466.9 and 464.8. For Jaeggi, it was her best result to date and her second ISSF World Cup medal. Her silver follows on from her bronze in Cairo last year.
You can find information and results from the ISSF World Cup in Munich here.
Jeanette Hegg Duestad's victory was the standout athlete in the standing section to take the women's 50m rifle 3 positions title. A narrow kneeling section lead over Emely Jaeggi of Switzerland would continue after prone shooting was completed, with Sagen Maddalena of the United States near in third and Sift Kaur Samra from India a gap behind in fourth.
Duestad's quality shone on the standing - first pulling the gap from 0.3 points to 2.1 to Jaeggi after the next 10 shots. This was less about errors in the game of the 16-year-old Swiss athlete - who extended her gap to Maddalena - and more of the quality of the Norwegian. Samra had a quality start to the standing section to draw level with the American.
It also saw the departure of Erendira Barba of Mexico and Sofiya Shulzhenko of Kazakhstan in seventh and eighth. Both of these athletes recorded their best results to date after making their first final at a World Cup event. Agathe Girard from France was in her first final too, finishing sixth, while China's Miao Wanru finished fifth - her joint-best result.
As the single shots started, Duestad matched the scores of Jaeggi and only Samra - who started this section 5.7 points behind the leader - would outscore the Norwegian. Maddalena was unable to keep up with the Indian, ultimately finishing fourth. Samra had plenty of ground to make up and would not get close enough to Jaeggi, settling for bronze.
The gap between Duestad and Jaeggi ended at 2.1, with their total scores being 466.9 and 464.8. For Jaeggi, it was her best result to date and her second ISSF World Cup medal. Her silver follows on from her bronze in Cairo last year.
You can find information and results from the ISSF World Cup in Munich here.