The United States lived up to expectations by winning both women's and men's skeet team titles as their athletes Samantha Simonton and Vincent Hancock, topped qualification for their respective finals at the 2025 ISSF World Championship Shotgun at the Malakasa Shooting Range near Athens, Greece.
Simonton has been the most in-form athlete this season and showed that once again, missing just three of her 125 targets for a score of 122. She finished two ahead of the next four athletes. Gabriela Rodriguez from Mexico was the best of those in a shoot-off with a score of eight, ahead of Cyprus' Konstantia Nikolau, the two-time ISSF World Cup bronze medallist who placed fifth in her only World Championship final back in 2019.
The home favourite Emmanouela Katzouraki placed fourth, winning a second shoot-off with Jiang Yiting of China that went up to 16 and 15 shots respectively. The sixth athlete through would be Sweden's Victoria Larsson, who won bronze in her sole world final in 2019. She finished on 119, beating American legend Kim Rhode and Slovakia's Vanesa Hockova to make the final. Other notable non-qualifiers included AIN athlete Arina Kuznetsova and Italian 2016 Olympic champion Diana Bacosi in ninth and 10th. Slovakian Danka Hrbekova placed 12th, with the final American Dania Vizzi down in 15th.
Simonton, Rhode and Vizzi would still win the team gold with a total of 358, followed by Cyprus' Nikolau, Anastasia Eleftheriou and Panagiota Andreou on 349 and the Slovakians Hockova, Hrbekova and Monika Stibrava on 348.
Simonton has been the most in-form athlete this season and showed that once again, missing just three of her 125 targets for a score of 122. She finished two ahead of the next four athletes. Gabriela Rodriguez from Mexico was the best of those in a shoot-off with a score of eight, ahead of Cyprus' Konstantia Nikolau, the two-time ISSF World Cup bronze medallist who placed fifth in her only World Championship final back in 2019.
The home favourite Emmanouela Katzouraki placed fourth, winning a second shoot-off with Jiang Yiting of China that went up to 16 and 15 shots respectively. The sixth athlete through would be Sweden's Victoria Larsson, who won bronze in her sole world final in 2019. She finished on 119, beating American legend Kim Rhode and Slovakia's Vanesa Hockova to make the final. Other notable non-qualifiers included AIN athlete Arina Kuznetsova and Italian 2016 Olympic champion Diana Bacosi in ninth and 10th. Slovakian Danka Hrbekova placed 12th, with the final American Dania Vizzi down in 15th.
Simonton, Rhode and Vizzi would still win the team gold with a total of 358, followed by Cyprus' Nikolau, Anastasia Eleftheriou and Panagiota Andreou on 349 and the Slovakians Hockova, Hrbekova and Monika Stibrava on 348.
Vincent Hancock missed just once on his way to the top of the qualification standings, scoring 124 in the men's skeet. Egypt's 2022 world champion Azmy Mehelba continues his fantastic record at the World Championships, seeking his fourth podium in what will be his fifth final. He scored 123 and then topped the shoot-off with a score of 14 ahead of Czechia's Daniel Korcak on 13 and Emil Kjeldgaard Petersen of Denmark on 1. The 2019 world junior champion Korcak makes the final on his senior World Championship debut, while 2023 ISSF World Cup Final winner Petersen is set to feature in his first senior world final.
25 years on from winning the Olympic title in Sydney, Mikola Milchev has made only his second world final as he seeks his first individual medal. The 57-year-old Ukrainian could become one of the oldest medallists in history if he makes the podium. He scored a colossal 24 in the shoot-off for 122 to finish ahead of Czechia's Jakub Tomecek on 23.
11 athletes were in the mix for those last two spots, including the United States' Christian Elliott who finished seventh and home favourite Nikolaos Mavrommatis who was eighth. 2016 Olympic champion Gabriele Rossetti of Italy was 12th. American Conner Prince finished down in 33rd.
Hancock, Elliott and Prince would eke out the team title win for the US with a score of 365, followed by the Italians Rossetti, Erik Pittini and Valerio Palmucci on 363. Greece would win the bronze on countback with France and Czechia, with Mavrommatis, Panagiotis Gerochristos and Charalambos Chalkiadakis scoring 361.
25 years on from winning the Olympic title in Sydney, Mikola Milchev has made only his second world final as he seeks his first individual medal. The 57-year-old Ukrainian could become one of the oldest medallists in history if he makes the podium. He scored a colossal 24 in the shoot-off for 122 to finish ahead of Czechia's Jakub Tomecek on 23.
11 athletes were in the mix for those last two spots, including the United States' Christian Elliott who finished seventh and home favourite Nikolaos Mavrommatis who was eighth. 2016 Olympic champion Gabriele Rossetti of Italy was 12th. American Conner Prince finished down in 33rd.
Hancock, Elliott and Prince would eke out the team title win for the US with a score of 365, followed by the Italians Rossetti, Erik Pittini and Valerio Palmucci on 363. Greece would win the bronze on countback with France and Czechia, with Mavrommatis, Panagiotis Gerochristos and Charalambos Chalkiadakis scoring 361.