Published on 26 Jul 2006
Martynov finally clinches the evasive World Championship win
Sara John
At his fifth World Shooting Championships, Belarus’ Sergei Martynov finally won the title which had evaded him for so long – World Champion. The current World Record holder in men’s prone rifle, Martynov also holds the No. 1 world ranking in this event, and over 20 international medals, including two bronze medals from the most recent Olympic Games; but until now, he had not been able to win a medal at the World Championships.
At his fifth World Shooting Championships, Belarus’ Sergei Martynov finally won the title which had evaded him for so long – World Champion. The current World Record holder in men’s prone rifle, Martynov also holds the No. 1 world ranking in this event, and over 20 international medals, including two bronze medals from the most recent Olympic Games; but until now, he had not been able to win a medal at the World Championships.
That all changed today, however, as he shot a 599 qualifying score, and a 103.1 in the final to beat his closest competitor by just over a point. “My final wasn’t so great,” Martynov said after his match, “but the outcome is what mattered.” Martynov can’t be disappointed with this match as long-time friend Jury Sukhorukov, of Ukraine, also took the podium, winning the silver medal after working his way up from seventh place and shooting a 104.9 final score to finish with a 700.9 total. This is only Sukhorukov’s second international medal of his career in men’s 50m prone, with the first coming at a World Cup in 1993. “I am very happy,” Sukhorukov said. “I did everything in my power to prepare for this final, and make all the shots right, but I think it was a little luck, as well.” Marco De Nicolo, of Italy, took the bronze with a 700.6 total score, shooting a 597 qualifying and a 103.6 in the final. Mario Knoegler, of Austria, finished in fourth, just one-tenth of a point behind De Nicolo. Knoegler actually started in second, and fell to fourth after he shot a 9.8 on his second to last shot. Switzerland’s Simon Beyeler took fifth in his first final appearance in any international competition. Kazakhstan’s Sergey Belyayev finished in sixth, moving up from eighth with a 104.3 in the final for a 700.3 total score. Australia’s Warren Potent took seventh with a 699.7, while the USA’s Michael McPhail rounds out the top finalists with a 698.7 at his World Championship debut.