After 2 out of 10 events, the People’s Republic of China is already atop of the medal standings, thanks to the record scores of an 18-year old first-time participant.
Munich, Germany (FirearmsGuide.com) - The 2016 ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup in Munich, Germany – which sees 738 athletes coming from 88 countries competing from the 21st to the 25th of May – was opened by today’s 10m Air Rifle Men final. An 18-year old first-time participant from the People’s Republic of China - Qian Xuechao - beat Olympic and world champions to secure the first gold medal of the competition. The young athlete scored 210.6 points, breaking the final world record of 210.5 p.ts as well as the junior final world record of 209.8 p.ts, both held by his teammate Yang Haoran.
On his way to the highest step of the podium, Qian upset his teammate Cao Yifei, 27, ranked second in the world in this event. After winning a Silver medal at the last ISSF World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Cao secured today’s Silver with 208.3 points, a strong score, but not enough to match Qian’s records. The 2010 Youth Olympic Games bronze medalist Serhiy Kulish of the Ukraine (23) took Bronze with 186.8 points.
At the beginning of the final, it was Italy’s 2012 50m Rifle Three Positions Olympic Champion Niccolo Campriani (28) the first to be eliminated with 79.2 points after the eighth shot. Campriani won his last world cup medal in this event in 2014.
Today’s turned out to be an upsetting match also for the current world rank #1, Yang Haoran of the People’s Republic of China: first he was eliminated after the 10th shot - leaving the competition in seventh place with 101.5 points - and then he lost his world records, which were overwritten by Qian’s exceptional score.
Yang is one of the favorites in the lead up to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Starting from his victory at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games and passing through his success at the Asian Games in Inchon and at the 2014 ISSF World Championship in Granada, Yang has won everything he could, including seven ISSF World Cup medals. But during the last two world cup events he did not shoot at his usual pace, missing the podium both in Rio de Janeiro - where he placed in 5th - and here in Munich, today.
At the following 10m Air Rifle Women final, it was the 2015 European Games champion Andrea Arsovic of Serbia, 29, who finished atop of the podium. The Serbian athlete scored 208.5 points, climbing the scoreboard up to the lead with a great series of 10s, and leaving behind her the winner of the 2015 Pan American Games Goretti Alejandra Zumaya Flores of Mexico (18), who took today’s Silver with 207.9 points (an equaled junior final world record). Shi Mengyao of the People’s Republic of China (18) - at her first appearance in an international competition - joined her and Zumaya Flores on the podium, collecting Bronze with 186.7 points.
“It has been a great competition for me. Of course there was a bit of pressure and stress, but I came here well prepared and focused on the goal, and I made it! All what I am doing now falls into the frame of Rio 2016. I am preparing for the Games, my aim is obviously to be ready for the most important competition of the year.” Arsovic said after the match.
At the end of Day-1, the People’s Republic of China is leading the medal standings, with 3 medals (one of each color) out of 2 events. Serbia - thanks to Arsovic’s gold - follows in second.
The world cup stage will continue tomorrow (22 May): the 50m Pistol Men final will be held at 11.15 (GMT+1), and will be followed by 25m Pistol Women final at 13.30. All finals will be broadcasted live on www.issf-sports.org