Published on 27 Jul 2006
Galkina wins a battle to the finish
Sara John
Russia’s Lioubov Galkina walked away the victor, today, after a tight battle in the final round of the women’s 50m three-position event. Galkina, the 2004 Olympic Champion in this event, went into the final in first place, qualifying with a 586, and leading her next closest competitor by one point. She then shot a 98.3 final score, to narrowly escape with her first World title.
“It was a great battle with the other shooters, and I am just glad to have come out on top,” Galkina said. “At the Olympics it is more difficult to deal with the emotions, but at this competition it is more technically difficult. I think that was evident today.” Sylwia Bogacka, of Poland, entered the final in fourth place with a 583, but after shooting a string of 10’s, was vying for the gold. Bogacka finished with an 8.9, dropping her down to second with a 683.8. This was Bogacka’s first international medal in women’s 3 position, although she has won two medals in women’s air at World Cups earlier this year. She also secures a quota place with this performance. Sonja Pfeilschifter, of Germany, ended up in third place, moving up from fifth after the qualifying round. She finished with a 683.4 (583 qualifying, 100.4 final) total score. Lidija Mihajlovic, of Serbia and Montenegro, took fourth with a 683.2 (584, 99.2) and secured her country a quota spot, while Kazakhstan’s Olga Dovgun had qualified with a 585 for second, but dropped to fifth, shooting a 94.6 final. The USA’s Jamie Beyerle finished with a 678.0 (582, 96.0) for sixth place and also secured a quota place. Germany’s Barbara Lechner took seventh with a 677.3, and Ukraine’s Natallia Kalnysh ended up in eighth place, shooting a 676.7. The last quota awarded went to Switzerland’s Annik Marguet.