3 : 2009 » ISSF WORLD CUP CHANGWON» ISSF WORLD CUP BEIJING» ISSF WORLD CUP CAIRO» DOPING: THE ISSF IPOD» RESULTS ISSF WORLD CUPS MUNICH AND MILAN

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1 3 : 2009 = I N T E R N A T I O N A L S H O O T I N G S P O R T =» ISSF WORLD CUP CHANGWON» ISSF WORLD CUP BEIJING» ISSF WORLD CUP CAIRO» DOPING: THE ISSF IPOD» RESULTS ISSF WORLD CUPS MUNICH AND MILAN

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3 CONTENTS 3:09 C O V E R P A G E HE ZHAOHUI, CHN He Zhaohui, a 19-year old Chinese Rifle shooter, finished in the spotlights at the ISSF World Cup in Munich, by winning his first international Gold medal at the 50m Rifle Three Positions Men event. The young shooter, who has debuted on the international scene this year, is one of the new, fresh and talented shooters presented by the Chinese Rifle and Pistol team this year. He entered Munich s 50m Rifle Three Positions Men final round by establishing a new Junior World Record of 1182 points, winning then the match by outdoing the Olympic multi-medallist Matthew Emmons. Emmons is my all-time idol, I have been following him for years, and I cannot believe I won against him! explained the enthusiastic He after the final match This is just the starting point, I want to win more and more! The 2012 Olympics are in my sights! At the following World Cup stage of Milan, Italy, He followed up his words by winning his second consecutive Gold medal. He Zhaohui turned out to be the 2009 Rifle surprise; will his Olympic dream come true in 2012? R E S U LT S N E W S ISSF World Cup Changwon, KOR 40 ISSF ACTIVITIES Shooting on its way 4 ISSF World Cup Beijing, CHN 42 DOPING THE ISSF IPOD The information portal on doping 6 ISSF World Cup Cairo, EGY 44 COMPETITION ISSF WORLD CUP in Changwon, KOR 8 ISSF World Cup Munich, GER 46 COMPETITION ISSF WORLD CUP in Beijing, CHN 20 ISSF World Cup Milan, ITA 51 COMPETITION ISSF WORLD CUP in Cairo, EGY 32 Foto: Wolfgang Schreiber I N F O R M A T I O N ISSF World Championships shotgun in Maribor 119 Calendar 122 Impressum 122 ISSF RANKING Official World Ranking 118 TRANSLATIONS German Version 54 French Version 76 Spanish Version 98 ISSF NEWS 3

4 ACTIVITIES SHOOTING ON ITS WAY ON MAY 13, 2009 THE ISSF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, AND THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL HELD THEIR MEETINGS OF THIS YEAR IN MUNICH, GER, WHERE OUR HEADQUARTERS ARE LOCATED. ALL MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE WERE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS MEETING. ISSF MEETINGS IN MUNICH The purpose of the meeting was to make a decision regarding the applications of several member federations to waive the three-year waiting period for shooters who have changed their nationality and have moved from one country to another. This is no problem for the Executive Committee if both Member Federations agree. If, however, one Federation does not agree, the application must be rejected and the shooter will have to wait three years before he can start shooting for his new country again. ISSF COACHES COMMITTEE Since the ISSF successfully founded an Athletes Committee, the coaches in our Sport have also requested to be organized in a Coaches Committee and therefore, the Executive Committee has decided to create a working group for this Coaches Committee ISSF WORLD CUPS The Executive Committee received reports on the preparation of the World Cups for this year 2009 and very successful competitions were organized in the Rifle and Pistol discipline in Changwon, KOR and Beijing, CHN. In the meantime, Munich has also organized a very successful combined World Cup in both events, in the Rifle and Pistol, as well as in the Shotgun events, held at the completely renovated Olympic Shooting Ranges, which was a good opportunity to test these ranges for next year s World Championships. All members of the Executive Committee and the Administrative Council witnessed the Final in the Women s Trap Event on the completely new Shotgun Ranges, which now have four shooting fields. This Final was very successful and all members of the Executive Committee might agree that this renovation was done very successfully. In the beginning of May the first World Cup in the Shotgun Events took place in Egypt and our Member Federation there held this World Cup on a completely new shooting range, a club with many facilities. The participants as well as the officials agreed that this range could be considered one of the best in the world. The ISSF is very happy to have such a beautiful new range for the organization of World Cups in the African Continent. From Munich, the shooters in the Rifle and Pistol discipline traveled to Milan, where the next World Cup in these disciplines was organized back-to-back. And once again all participants enjoyed a very successful organization and the hospitality of our friends from the Italian Member Federation Tiro a Segno. There have been no protests in any of these first 6 World Cups of the year and we report, with great satisfaction, that no positive doping case has occurred. We are looking forward to further successful organization of the World Cups in Minsk and in San Marino in the clay target events. Fotos: Wolfgang Schreiber 4 ISSF NEWS

5 ACTIVITIES 2009 WORLD CUP FINALS The World Cup Finals both for the Rifle and Pistol events as well as for the clay target events this year will be organized later this year at the end of October by our Member Federation in the People s Republic of China. We are looking forward to a very successful organization of the Rifle and Pistol World Cup Final to be held for the first time not at the Olympic Shooting Ranges in Beijing, but on a new shooting range for Europe during the Continental European 10m Championships from March 7 14, 2010 in Meråker, NOR, in Asia these quotas will be distributed during the Asian Championships in Doha, QAT from December 16 22, 2009, and finally the Oceania region will organize the distribution of these quotas from November 28 until December 8, 2009 in Sydney, AUS during their Continental Championships. We are hoping to receive the dates for the distribution of organize the separate World Championships in the Running Target discipline in Heinola, FIN from August for all our friends who have lost the opportunity to participate in this Running Target discipline at the Olympic Games. Of course, in July and August our Member Federations will organize their National Championships and the Continental Confederations will organize their Continental Championships. Workshop for Organizers in Wuxi, which is located north of Shanghai. The officials from our Chinese Organizers claim that this new range is beautifully located and will offer extremely good conditions for all participants.the Executive Committee also determined the preliminary locations for the World Cups next year as well as the World Cup Finals and interested readers can find these locations in this issue YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES Immediately following our large World Championships next year, which will be organized in Munich at the end of July and the first week of August 2010, the junior shooters will travel to Singapore, where from August 14-26, the first edition of the Youth Olympic Games will take place. The Youth Olympic Games allowed the qualification of male and female shooters born in the years 1992 and At the end of this year and the beginning of next year, in all our continents, MQS competitions for the Youth Olympic Games will be organized and the quotas for our member federations will be distributed in special qualification competitions at the end of this year and the beginning of next year. For the American Continent in Guatemala City, GUA from March 25 28, 2010, the African quotas in the next days from our Continental Confederation in Africa. We are sure that all participants in this Youth Olympic Games will enjoy not only the shooting competitions but also the cultural and educational programs, which will take place during these Youth Olympic Games in Singapore NEW QUOTA RULES The Executive Committee discussed and considered a draft for the new Quota Rules for the Olympic Games 2012 in London and this draft will be submitted to the IOC Executive Board for approval during its next meeting. As we informed all our members, this year 2009 we are not able to already distribute quota places for the London Games since the IOC has not given us permission for this distribution. We hope, however, that next year our World Cups as well as our World Championships will be good locations for our Member Federations to send shooters to compete for quotas for the 2012 Olympic Games. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009 The ISSF will organize a separate World Championships in the shotgun events in Maribor, SLO from August - 16 and the ISSF will further 2009 ISSF WORKSHOP Later in this year on November 6 7, 2009 the ISSF will organize this year s traditional Workshop for the organizers of our supervised Competitions, World Cups and World Championships in Munich. All the Organizers of this year s World Cups as well as next year s World Cups are requested to send a minimum of one delegate to this Workshop. Following this Workshop, there will be the meetings of all the Section Committees on November 8 and 9 and on November 10 and 11, the meeting of the ISSF Technical Committee IOC CONGRESS From October 1 7, the IOC will organize the IOC Congress in Copenhagen, where very important decisions will be taken, such as the location of the next Olympic Games All these events help us realize that this year 2009 our calendar is full of very important competitions, meetings and sport events. We wish all our members much success in the preparation for these events and to all our shooters good luck, as well as fair and successful competitions. Olegario Vázquez Raña President of ISSF Horst G. Schreiber Secretary General of ISSF ISSF NEWS 5

6 BULL S EYE ON DOPING THE ISSF IPOD THE ANTI-DOPING TEAM AT THE WORLD CUP IN MUNICH. THE ISSF SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED THE WADA ATHLETE OUTREACH PROGRAM AT THE WORLD CUP IN MUNICH MAY WHAT IS THE ISSF IPOD? THE WORD IPOD IS AN ACRONYM FOR INFORMATION PORTAL ON DOPING. Athlete Outreach is one the most effective vehicles for educating athletes and their support personnel about the dangers and consequences of doping. Our ISSF anti-doping team provided all athletes and support staff with the opportunity to participate in a computer quiz testing their knowledge of anti-doping. Various handouts were also available, such the Athlete Guide, a Doping Control leaflet, the Prohibited List, etc. All winners and participants received prizes for their efforts. The quiz is a great educational tool that provided an opportunity for all Shooters and their entourage (coaches, trainers, etc.) to learn about the dangers and consequences of doping in sports, as well as their responsibilities under the ISSF Anti-Doping Rules and the World Anti-Doping Code in a fun, friendly and interactive environment. The quiz, available to be played in 20 different languages, guaranteed that practically every participant was able to take part in his/her own language, be it Russian, German, Arabic, Spanish, Greek, Polish, etc. The positive feedback received by our antidoping team was overwhelming! Thank you to all of you who participated in making the ISSF Anti-Doping Education Booth such a success! See you all next year for the World Championships! To explain: in the English language a portal, means a door or an opening. And so, this section of the ISSF News is a medium for you to acquire information on doping. This section of the ISSF News is called the ISSF IPOD in all languages. Accordingly, in all languages, it provides you with some useful and important information on doping. Essentially, it is catchy way to bring your attention to anti-doping information even if the translation of the acronym does not amount to the word IPOD in other languages. We hope you enjoy the IPOD and will continue reading it to stay updated on antidoping information and ISSF anti-doping activities. ISSF Vice President Medhat Wahdan 6 ISSF NEWS

7 DOPING QUESTION AND ANSWERS ON THERAPEUTIC USE EXEMPTIONS(TUES) THIS 4 TH EDITION OF THE IPOD FOCUSES ON THERAPEUTIC USE EXEMPTIONS. THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IS GENERAL. WE DO INVITE YOU TO DIRECT ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS REGAR- DING TUE S TO THE ISSF OR TO YOUR NADO., WHAT IS A THERAPEUTIC USE EXEMPTION (TUE)? Shooters, like all other athletes, may have illnesses or conditions that require them to take particular medications. If the medication an athlete is required to take to treat an illness or condition happens to fall under the Prohibited List, a Therapeutic Use Exemption may give that athlete the authorization to take the needed medicine., WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA FOR GRANTING A TUE? The criteria are: The athlete would experience significant health problems without taking the prohibited substance or method, The therapeutic use of the substance would not produce significant enhancement of performance, and, There is no reasonable therapeutic alternative to the use of the otherwise prohibited substance or method., WHO GRANTS TUES? Under the World Anti-Doping Code, WADA has issued an International Standard for the granting of TUEs. This International Standard and related Guidelines can be downloaded off the WADA website at The standard states that all International Federations (IFs) and National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs) must have a process in place whereby athletes with documented medical conditions can request a TUE, and have such request appropriately dealt with by a panel of independent physicians called a Therapeutic Use Exemption Committee (TUEC). In Shooting Sport, the ISSF is responsible for granting or declining TUEs for international level shooters. NADOS, through their respective TUECs, are responsible for granting or declining such applications for national level shooters., WHERE SHOULD I SUBMIT MY TUE APPLICATION? If you are an international level shooter, or if you are entered in an international event, you must submit your TUE Application to the ISSF, which is responsible for accepting applications and granting or declining TUEs. For other shooters who are members of a country s national registered testing pool, TUE Applications must be submitted to the athletes NADOs. Note: Athletes must not submit TUE Applications to more than one organization. Athletes must submit their TUE Applications to the authority which applies to their status as an athlete, using the criteria mentioned above. WADA does not accept TUE Applications from athletes., WHAT DOES A TUE APPLICATION LOOK LIKE, AND WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION IS NEEDED TO MAKE A PROPER APPLICATION? A typical ISSF TUE application form is available on the ISSF website to familiarize all shooters and their medical personnel with the forms. Go to under Anti- Doping/ Resources for athletes and coaches/ Therapeutic Use Exemptions. A form can also be downloaded off the WADA website WHERE DOES A SHOOTER HAVE TO APPLY FOR A TUE? All International-level shooters must contact the ISSF to apply for a TUE. All National-level shooters should contact their National Anti- Doping Organization to apply for a TUE., IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER:, Beta blockers are a prohibited substance and are strictly prohibited in shooting sport., A therapeutic use exemption for an international-level shooter will never be considered or granted by the ISSF for the use of a beta-blocker., A therapeutic use exemption for any other substance will only be considered by the ISSF for a medically justified reason and under the following circumstances: The shooter would experience a significant impairment to health if the prohibited substance or method were to be withheld in the course of treating an acute or chronic medical condition; The use of the prohibited substance or method would produce no additional enhancement of performance other than that which might be anticipated by a return to a state of normal health following the treatment of a legitimate medical condition, and; There is no reasonable therapeutic alternative or any alternative is inefficient. THE ISSF encourages all shooters, their coaches and their medical staff to visit the WADA website and the ISSF website to obtain more information on TUEs. If you have any specific anti-doping topic that you would like us to present in the next edition of the IPOD please let us know at wmschreiber@issf-sports.org Frank Köstel

8 WC CHANGWON All Fotos: Won Sik Lee 8 ISSF NEWS

9 WC CHANGWON THE 2009 ISSF WORLD CUP SERIES KICKS OFF! A NEW OLYMPIC CYCLE STARTS IN KOREA THE 2009 ISSF WORLD CUP SERIES KICKED-OFF IN CHANGWON, KOREA, WHERE THE FIRST ISSF WORLD CUP EVENTS IN RIFLE AND PISTOL WERE HELD BETWEEN APRIL A new Olympic Cycle is starting at this point: Beijing s Olympic Games are still near and far behind us, at the same time. It s time to start shooting again on the path leading to the 2012 Olympic Games of London. The race leading to the next Olympics kicked-off on the well-known shooting range of Changwon, Korea, where eleven ISSF world cups have been hosted since More than 450 starts were registered, as shooters from all around the world met here to compete in the 10 Olympic events of Rifle and Pistol shooting. ENJOYING KOREA S OUTSTANDING HOSPITALITY The participants of the first World Cup of the year enjoyed Changwon s extraordinary Korean hospitality, where they were welcomed by local shooters and authorities during a great opening ceremony. Dear shooters! I hope that all of you obtain good results to enhance your national prestige and your personal honor! Declared Mr. Kim Jung, President of the Organizing Committee, while welcoming the participants at the 2009 ISSF World Cup in Rifle and Pistol in Changwon. Mr. Li Feng, the ISSF Technical Delegate for this competition, followed Mr. Kim, and took the opportunity to express his gratitude and appreciation for the Organizing Committee s remarkable work on behalf of ISSF President, Mr. Olegario Vázquez Raña and of ISSF Secretary General, Mr. Horst Schreiber. Mr. Li Feng said: Our Korean hosts are working with enthusiasm to achieve a successful competition. Changwon s is a beautiful range, and it has been renewed with electronic targets. We are confident that our shooters will return home with great memories thanks to the excellent job done by our friends of the Korean Shooting Federation. The competition was officially declared open by Mr. Lee Woo-Jae, member of the ISSF Administrative Council, who presided over the oath of shooters and referees before the authorities, a solemn promise to compete and judge in fair play in the interest of the spirit of sports and of the International Shooting family. CHINA WINS THE MEDAL STANDINGS The People s Republic of China introduced new, young and talented shooters at the first 2009 ISSF World Cup Stage, displaying once more the incredible skills of its team. In spite of the young age of its team-members, China won the first spot on the medal standings chart with an impressive total of eleven medals (5 gold, 3 Silver and 3 Bronze medals). The Russian Federation was among between the favourite nations to lead this World Cup, and it did not disappoint. Russia came in second in the medal standings, with two Gold, one Silver and two Bronze medals, thanks to its legendary pistol shooters, who shot 4 out of the 5 medals, and both the gold. Korea, the hosting country, obtained a precious spot in the top three of the medal standings, placing in third with one Gold, three Silver and one Bronze. KOREA MADE IT INTO THE TOP 3 Its overall result, a third place in the medal standings, put the Korean team in the spotlights. Mr. Jung Hee Jo, Vice-President of the Korean Shooting Federation, declared he was satisfied with the competition, and commented about the future objective regarding the Changwon shooting Range and Korea s shooting team. We have installed the best electronic target scoring system here in Changwon, in order to improve this range. We are very satisfied with this competition, and we want to thank the ISSF for the exceptional cooperation of its team here in Changwon, said Mr. Jung. We are trying now to build a new five-range shotgun venue, here in Changwon, to replace the older three-range center and to host ISSF Shotgun world cups or world championships in the near future. Korea s shooting program is looking for improvements: we would like to obtain two gold medals at the next Games! MEDAL STANDINGS NOC G S B TOTAL CHN RUS KOR AUS IND USA FRA KAZ NOR GER TOTAL ISSF NEWS 9

10 WC CHANGWON 1 st 2 nd CAO, Yifei (CHN) NARANG, Gagan (IND) 3 rd ZHU, Qinan (CHN) 10M AIR RIFLE MEN ZHU WINS THE FIRST 2009 GOLD MEDAL Leader in World Ranking, China s Zhu Qinan, started the new ISSF World Cup season in the lead by winning the 10m air rifle men event at the first ISSF World Cup stage of the year in Changwon, Korea. Zhu, winner of the silver medal at the Beijing Olympics, obtained the very first medal of the year by finishing in first with a total score of points. After entering the final match with one point of advantage over his followers as a result of a successful qualification score of 597 points, Zhu led the round from the first to the last shot. By winning gold, the unbeatable Chinese shooter secured his leadership in the world ranking. This is his 8 th individual gold medal in world cup events since The Chinese team started the new season with a double success. Following Zhu, Silver went to the second Chinese finalist, 20- year old Cao Yifei, who impressed the audience by shooting an outstanding final round. The young Chinese shooter climbed from the sixth to the second place by firing outstanding shots. He moved towards the second step of the podium with a total score of points winning Silver, his second medal after the silver he had obtained at last year s world cup in Milan. The 10m Air Rifle men final has also been a successful event for the current world record holder, India s Gagan Narang, 25-years old. The Indian athlete shot a final score of points, climbing from the eighth place to the third position with a total score of points. To start a new Olympic cycle on the podium is not bad. I am always happy to get a medal, said Narang, who closed the 2008 season by setting a new final world record at the ISSF World Cup Final of Bangkok. Scores are not that high, none of us excelled in today s final, because we are at the beginning of the new season. It takes time to get in the best condition possible, after the winter breaks, continued the Indian athlete: I struggled a little bit during the qualifications, and I am not so happy about the final but I reached the podium, that s not bad, he concluded. On his way to the podium, the Indian champion faced first-time finalist Matthew Rawlings, 24-year old, from the USA. Both finalists shot neck and neck right to the last shot, when Rawlings fired a disappointing 9.3 that left him without a place on the podium. I have been looking to get into a final for a while, so it was great to be here today. This is a starting point, I am looking forward to the next world cup stages, declared Matthew after the final match. He closed the round in fourth place with a total score of points, just one tenth of a point behind the medallists. AWARDS 10m Air Rifle Men 10 ISSF NEWS

11 WC CHANGWON 10M AIR RIFLE WOMEN A CHALLENGING LAST SHOT The last shot of the 10m Air Rifle Women final match turned into a shoot-off for Gold as three finalists tied up in first place after the ninth competition shot. The Chinese team finished in the spotlight once more, by entering three finalists and securing two medals, gold and silver, while the host country Korea obtained a spot on the podium with a Bronze medal. Korea s Lee Da Hye faced Jieqiong Xie and Yin Wen of China in a breathtaking final round to determine the gold medal winner, battling on the thin line of the tenths of a point. The Korean shooter, competing before her audience in a crowded final at the shooting range of Changwon, turned out to be the unlucky finalist. The 21-year old rifle shooter had a consistent performance throughout the competition, but lost the gold medal on her last shot. Qualified in second with a score of 398 points, the local hero climbed to the lead after a few shots, and kept her place right to the end, fighting neck and neck against her Chinese opponents. Pressure probably tricked the young Korean shooter, when she scored a disappointing last shot of 9.5 points that sent her to third place with a total score of points ( ). 26-year old Chinese shooter Yin Wen took advantage of Lee s defeat and moved to first place with a shot of 10.4 points, obtaining the gold medal with a total score of points ( , the highest final score of the match). The Chinese shooter is considered a 50- meter rifle expert, and she usually competes in the 50m Rifle Three-Position Women s event. So far, she s only competed in the 10m Air Rifle Women event here at the shooting range of Changwon, where she previously won two world cup medals in this event in 2003 and The second Chinese finalist, the 20-year old shooter Xie Jieqiong, won Silver with a total score of points ( ) by shooting a last shot of 10.3 points. Yi Siling, the third Chinese finalist, placed in fourth with points, while Korean finalist Park Eun Gyeong finished in fifth place with points ( ). The 2007 Pan American Games silver medallist Amy Sowash of the USA closed the match in sixth with points ( ) after rising from the eighth place she had on the start list. YIN, Wen (CHN) XIE, Jieqiong (CHN) LEE, Da Hye (KOR) AWARDS 10m Air Rifle Women 1 st 2 nd 3 rd ISSF NEWS 11

12 WC CHANGWON 1 st JIN, Jong Oh (KOR) 50M PISTOL MEN OLYMPIC CHAMPION JIN LEADS ON HIS HOME RANGE Beijing s Olympic Champion Jin Jong Oh remained undisputed in the 50m Pistol men event. Shooting on the lines of his home range, followed by a number of local spectators cheering him on, the 29-year old Korean athlete easily won the Gold. Qualified in first place with 575 points and with a safe head-start over his followers, Jin shot his way to the highest step of the podium by firing excellent shots, and closed the match in first place with a total score of points ( ). The Korean champion never stopped after the Games, and he continues winning in the international scene. After shooting gold and silver at the Games of Beijing in the 50 and 10-meter pistol events, he led the 2008 ISSF World Final of Bangkok which closed the last season, and shared with Katerina Emmons, of the Czech Republic, the title of 2008 shooter of the year designated by sport journalists. Following the domestic champion Jin, Silver went to Russia s talented 21-year old shooter Leonid Ekimov, who started a new shooting season after a positive outcome at the 2008 Olympic Games. The Russian athlete placed in second behind Jin, winning Silver with a total of 665 points (573+92). Ekimov secured his spot on the podium after confronting two titled team-mates, 2004 and 1996 Olympic Champions Nestruev and Kokorev. Mikhail Nestruev, 40-years old, and Boris Kokorev, 49-year old, shot a neck and neck duel right to the last shot in a close battle for a spot on the podium. Nestruev, the 2004 Olympic Champion who had struggled at the 2008 Games in Beijing, won the competition and placed in third, winning Bronze with points ( ). His team-mate Kokorev followed in fourth place a few tenths behind, with points ( ). EKIMOV, Leonid (RUS) AWARDS 50m Pistol Men Behind them, the second Korean finalist, 20- year old pistol shooter Lee Daemyung closed the match in fifth, preceding China s Shi Xinglong, Kazakhstan s Rashid Yunusmetov and Germany s Hans Joerg Meyer. 2 nd 3 rd NESTRUEV, Mikhail (RUS) 12 ISSF NEWS

13 SA941 The new equipment for the games in Beijing New! Sius AG Switzerland

14 WC CHANGWON 1 st 10M AIR PISTOL MEN WU, Yan (CHN) 25M PISTOL WOMEN WU ONLY COMPETES IN CHANGWON 30-year old Chinese pistol shooter Wu Yan increased the medal collection of the Chinese shooting team by winning Gold at the 25m Pistol Women event. The skilled athlete shot an excellent final, climbing the scoreboard until she reached the Gold with a total score of ( ) points. Wu apparently participates exclusively in international matches at Changwon s range. She has competed only twice under the ISSF umbrella, today and in 2003, both times here in Changwon. On her way to the podium, Wu upset the Kazakh shooter Yuliya Bondareva, who had started the final at the lead after the qualification rounds. The twice Olympian had qualified in first place with 589 points, but she struggled in the fourth final series and she could not keep up with the consistent score of Wu. Bondareva shot a final of points with a total of points, winning Silver. 27-year old German shooter Stefanie Thurmann claimed Bronze with points ( ), securing the first medal of the year for Germany. Thurmann cried of joy while looking at the scoreboard: she had never won a world cup medal before. The German athlete had shot her last award competing as junior at the 2001 European Championships of Zagreb, where she had obtained a Silver medal. ISSF multi-medallist Jasna Sekaric is wellknown here in Korea, since she won an Olympic Bronze medal at the 1988 Games of Seoul. Unfortunately, the Korean world cup was unlucky for her. The Serbian athlete shot the highest score of the final, points, but she could not climb further then the 4 th place due to a lower qualification score of 581 points. BONDAREVA, Yuliya (KAZ) THURMANN, Stefanie (GER) AWARDS 25m Pistol Women 2 nd JIN SHATTERS A 20-YEAR OLD RECORD The Olympic Champion of Beijing, Jin Jong Oh, a national hero in Korea, set a new world record in the 10m Air Pistol Men event, shattering a previous record that had been held for 20 years. The Korean shooter who experienced a spectacular 2008 season where he won the Olympic Silver in the 10m Air Pistol, and a Gold in the 50m Pistol events, started the new shooting season the best way possible. During morning qualification, Jin shot an outstanding record score of 594 points which shattered the previous record of 593 points that had been set by Sergei Pyzhianov 20 years ago, at the 1989 ISSF World Cup Final. The Korean shooter walked into the final hall with the aim to establish a new final world record, a result that would have been possible with a final of points, a reachable score. Unfortunately, his attempt was frustrated by some malfunctions that delayed his round. Starting at the lead with 7 points of advantage on the second round, Jin shot two times in the tenth ring, and then his scores started sliding, which caused him to land a frustrating 1 st 3 rd 2 nd EKIMOV, Leonid (RUS) JIN, Jong Oh (KOR) 14 ISSF NEWS

15 WC CHANGWON 1 st 8.0 in his fourth competition shot. The paper of the electronic target had stopped scrolling down, but the athlete and his coach noticed the problems only a few shots after. The final round was interrupted, and the juries moved Jin to the spare target (available for these emergencies). Jin lost his concentration and could not perform at his best on the new target. He closed the round with a 7.9 shot, finishing in second place and winning Silver with a total score of points ( ) behind Russia s Leonid Ekimov. Leonid Ekimov, 21-years old, took advantage of the situation to reach the highest step of the podium. The Russian shooter, who had shot a good qualification round, obtained the most valuable medal with an outstanding final round of points. An impressive average of 10.4 points per shot boosted him to the highest step of the podium, where he landed with a total score of ( ) points. The young pistol shooter confirmed once more to be one of the best up-and-coming athletes. In spite of his young age (he just turned 21), Ekimov displays a large medal collection. Along with nine European titles in different pistol events, he has already won 5 World Cup medals, and has made it into two Olympic finals in Beijing. Following far behind, the Bronze medal was obtained by Chinese shooter Shi Xinglong, 32-years old, who finished in third with points ( ) winning the battle for the podium against the second Russian shooter, 2004 Olympic Champion Mikhail Nestruev, who closed in fourth. 3 rd SHI, Xinglong (CHN) AWARDS 10m Air Pistol Men POTENT, Warren (AUS) HENRY, Josselin (FRA) 50M RIFLE PRONE MEN POTENT CLOSES THE CIRCLE Beijing s Olympic Bronze medallist Warren Potent closed the circle in Changwon. By winning the 50m Rifle Prone men s event, the Australian shooter started the 2009 season the same way he closed season 2008: in the lead. Potent won the 2008 ISSF World Cup Final in Bangkok, the last competition of the Olympic year. The stress of the Games fading away and the long winter break did not affect the performances of Potent, who returned to shooting as strong as ever. Here in Changwon, Potent climbed from the third place he had on the start list after the qualification, and won the rifle prone final with a score of ( ), confirming his leadership in this event once again. I am so happy! I felt quite confident today! The Australian shooter built his victory by shooting the highest final score (104.0 points), earning his fourth ISSF world cup gold medal since His average is impressive: during the last two ISSF world cup seasons, Potent has won 4 Gold and 2 Bronze, an impressive total of six medals 2 nd 3 rd BAKKEN, Ole Magnus (NOR) out of nine world cup stages, competing in the 50m Rifle Prone event only. France s Josselin Henry won the silver medal by shooting a final score of points after rising from the fourth place to secure his first medal in this event. The French shooter closed the final round with a total of points ( ). 20-year old Norwegian athlete Ole Magnus Bakken, a new face in the international shooting sport scene, followed in third winning Bronze with a total of points ( ). The young shooter nearly obtained the silver (he finished only one tenth behind Henry), but he placed third by firing a last shot of 9.2 points, probably feeling the pressure of his first world-level final. India s Gagan Narang finished in fourth place with points ( ), his best placement in this event in an ISSF world cup so far. The Indian shooter, a world record holder in the 10m Air Rifle event, considers the rifle prone a back-up event: I am still learning. I am looking forward to improving in all rifle events, he said a few days ago regarding this issue. ISSF NEWS 15

16 WC CHANGWON AWARDS 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women 1 st 2 nd 3 rd YIN, Wen (CHN) WAN, Xiangyan (CHN) WANG, Chengyi (CHN) 50M RIFLE 3 POSITIONS WOMEN PODIUM IN RED The Chinese team ruled the 50m Rifle Three Positions Women event at the ISSF World Cup in the Rifle and Pistol events in Changwon. Three Chinese shooters, Yin Wen, Wan Xiangyan and Wang Chengyi, monopolized the podium by winning Gold, Silver and Bronze. Yin Wen, who also won the 10m Air Rifle Women event, walked into the final round with a solid advantage of 7 points over her followers, enough to manage the match from a safe position. By shooting a consistent final of 98.2 points, she secured her second gold medal with ( ) points. Yin, a 2007 World Cup Final winner, displayed great self-confidence at Changwon s shooting lines. She had already climbed this podium in 2003, when she won a world cup silver medal. A 22-year old shooter, Yin s teammate Wan Xiangyan, took the Silver by shooting an extraordinary final round. The young shooter had only previously competed in a few world cup stages and struggled shooting in the eighth ring more than once at the beginning of the match. She dropped to the last place, but a decisive shot of 10.9 points boosted her up to second place, where she concluded the competition with a total score of points ( ). The Olympic Bronze medallist of Athens, Wang Chengyi, battled neck and neck with her team-mate Wan, losing the second place she had reached throughout the qualification on the very last shot. By firing a frustrating 9.5, Wang landed in third place with a total score of ( ) points, only two tenths behind the Silver medallist Wan. Two new and young shooters, Indian team-mates Meena Kumari and Lajja Gauswami, 25 and 20 years old, respectively, both experiencing their first ISSF world cup final round, placed in fourth and fifth place, failing on their last shots after duelling for the Bronze throughout the previous nine shots. Sydney s Olympic Bronze medallist Maria Feklistova, returning after missing from the ISSF final rounds for a few years, made it into the final by participating in a shoot-off. She finished in sixth place. Following her, Malaysia s Shahera Rahim Raja finished her first final in seventh place, while Switzerland s Silvia Guignard Schnyder closed in eighth place. 16 ISSF NEWS

17 WC CHANGWON FOCUS ON CHRISTIAN REITZ (GER) Christian Reitz surprised everyone last year. This 22-year old German shooter took part in his first world-level competition in March, at the 2008 ISSF World Cup in Rio de Janeiro. He had never competed against seniors before, but he made it to the highest step of the podium. Later on, he matched a world record and established a final world record at the ISSF World Cup in Milan. Just a few months after, in August, we found him shooting at the Olympic Games of Beijing. He had qualified, and secured a place in the crowded German Olympic team. Entering the Olympic final, Reitz had already achieved his dream, but he went even further by shooting Beijing s Olympic Bronze medal. CHRISTIAN, WHEN DID YOU START SHOOTING? I started shooting in 1997 with an Air Pistol. I was only 10 years old. In 1998 I made it into a shooting club. Later on, when I turned 14, I started shooting Rapid Fire with short ammunitions, and changed to the long ones in WHEN DID YOU FIRST COMPETE IN THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE? I took part in my first World Cup last year, at the 2008 ISSF World Cup stage in Rio de Janeiro. I won that World Cup. My results as a junior shooter were very good, and luckily in Rio I was also able to shoot the same scores among the seniors. YOU STARTED TAKING PART IN INTERNATIONAL MATCHES IN MARCH 2008, AND YOU WON AN OLYMPIC BRONZE THE FOLLOWING AUGUST DID YOU EVER EXPECT TO ACHIEVE SUCH A RESULT? You might say that I was dreaming of going to the Games, and then to finish on the podium. But I would never say that I had any expectations about it! WHAT ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS, THE STRESS OF THE OLYMPIC FINAL? The stress was not so high. Or at least I did not feel it that much. I had the same feelings I usually have while competing in a World Cup stage. But the competition itself was strange: the overall results weren t that good I shot better than some of my competitors, and I finished on the podium. THE BEST RAPID FIRE PISTOL SHOOTER OF THE WORLD, RALPH SCHUMANN, IS IN YOUR TEAM. DOES THIS HELP YOU? Everybody has his own shooting technique, and we are all different athletes. But it s great to have such a champion so close to you. I had seen Ralf Schumann shooting many times. When I was a junior shooter I saw him at Olympics, but I did not know him, I had no contact with him. Now it s different, since 2006 I am in touch with Ralf, and we have faced each other several times, in addition to the Olympic final YOU FACED RALF SCHUMANN IN AN OLYMPIC FINAL DID YOU TALK TO HIM BEFORE THE MATCH? Ralph and I are good friends. But a competition is competition! I did not talk to him right before the final, right there in the Olympic final hall. But we talked a lot before. We share the same room when we are out on competitions, and I often meet him during training. ARE YOU PLANNING TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL SHOOTER? Shooting is a sport, but also a part of my life. I am studying to be a police officer and I have a lot of time to train now. I cannot answer your question precisely at the moment. I just know I will continue shooting in the next few years. WHAT ARE CHRISTIAN REITZ S NEXT GOALS? The 2012 Olympic Games are my next goal. But I would like to start shooting good scores starting with this year s World Cup series! The road to the 2012 Games begins here. Marco Dalla Dea EVENT: 25M RAPID FIRE PISTOL MEN COUNTRY: GERMANY AGE: 22 BEST ACHIEVEMENT: BRONZE MEDAL, 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES ELECTRONIC TRIGGER LP 10 E - LP 50 E LP 50 E NEW!! ISSF NEWS 17

18 WC CHANGWON 1 st 10M AIR PISTOL WOMEN KLIMOV, Alexei (RUS) 25M RAPID FIRE PISTOL MEN WORLD RECORD HOLDERS FACE TO FACE Russian world record holder Alexei Klimov, 33- years old, won the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol competition. In the Final, he met with Germany s Christian Reitz, an up-and-coming 22-year old athlete who tied Klimov s World Record at last year s world cup in Milan. Klimov turned out to be the winner of Changwon s final round with a total score of points ( ). The Russian shooter started the new season in the lead as he had finished the previous one by winning the 2008 World Cup Final in Bangkok. Klimov faced and defeated Beijing s Bronze medallist Christian Reitz in the third and last relay, renewing a duel which had begun since last year s World Cup in Milan, when Reitz tied Klimov s 591-point world record, and then set a new Final World Record of points. Competing in Changwon, the expert Russian shooter entered the final round in the lead and did not give Reitz much of a chance. The 21- year old German shooter did not fire his best final, landing in fourth place with a score of points ( ). The USA s Keith Sanderson won Silver, rising from the third place with a final of points, and an overall score of points. It s good to be on the podium, but I am not very happy with today s score. I haven t been training that much after the Olympics the American shooter said. He had placed in fifth at the Olympic final of Beijing, last year I have been teaching shooting in Hawaii, I had no time to practice. But I will train more, from now on. Bronze went to 23-year old Chinese shooter Jian Zhang, who won his first medal ever with a total score of ( ) points. He had never taken part in an ISSF international competition before. 2 nd SANDERSON, Keith (USA) 3 rd ZHANG, Jian (CHN) CHINA S TONG ON THE HIGHEST STEP OF THE PODIUM The People s Republic of China s Tong Xin obtained the gold at the 10m Air Pistol Women final, winning the second international medal of her career and increasing the gap between China and the following countries in the medal standings. Entering the final round in the lead with the highest qualification score, the Chinese shooter finished in first with a total of points after shooting an outstanding final of points. This 26-year old pistol shooter has only competed in a few international competitions, but she has already reached outstanding results in World Cups. She had already won an ISSF medal here in Changwon, a Silver obtained at the 2005 World Cup stage. The domestic shooter, 20-year Korean finalist Lee Ho Lim, fought right to the last shot to reach the highest step of the podium supported by a crowded final hall. Lee entered the final round with a slight one-point disadvantage in regards to Tong, leader in the qualification rounds, but ten final shots where not enough to fill the gap. The young Korean shooter finished in second place, obtaining the Silver with a total score of ( ) points, and winning her second medal within the ISSF World Cup Series umbrella (she had won a gold medal at the world cup held in Milan in 2005). The Bronze medal went to the most experienced athlete of the match, Australian pistol shooter Lalita Yauhleuskaya. The four-times 1 st TONG, Xin (CHN) 18 ISSF NEWS

19 WC CHANGWON 1 st Olympian finished in third place with a total score of points ( ), unable to catch up with Korea s Lee by five tenths of a point. Kazakhstan s Zauresh Baibussinova shot a final of 99.6 points, climbing from the eighth place to the fourth, where she placed with ( ). Lee Pei Ching of Chinese Taipei closed the final round in fifth place with points, preceding Japan s Yoko Inada (sixth with points), and Korea s Kim Byung Hee (seventh with points). The second Chinese finalist Wu Yan, winner of yesterday s 25m Pistol Women Final, placed eighth with points. 2 nd LEE, Ho Lim (KOR) 3 rd YAUHLEUSKAYA, Lalita (AUS) NARANG, Gagan (IND) 50M RIFLE 3 POSITIONS MEN INDIA S NARANG WON GOLD ON THE LAST SHOT 10m Air Rifle world record holder Gagan Narang won the 50m Rifle 3 Positions men event, the last competition of the 2009 ISSF World Cup stage in Changwon, Korea. The Indian shooter scored a total of ( ) points to win his first gold medal in this event: It s not only my personal first medal in this event, I think I am the first Indian shooter to win Gold in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions event, within the ISSF frame Narang said right after the final round this is the best way to close this World Cup. I made it into three different finals and I won two medals. I still have to practice and improve, but this is quite an achievement! Narang obtained the most valuable medal after his opponent Han HAN, Jinseop (KOR) KAMENSKI, Alexei (RUS) 2 nd 3 rd Jinseop of Korea shot a disappointing 7.3, compromising his match. Han, who had been leading the match right to the last shot, was unable to recover from that poor shot, and finished in second place, winning Silver with a total score of ( ) points. I had just scored in the eighth ring, but I saw on Han s monitor that he had shot in the seventh. Pressure was high, but I took a deep breath and I fired that winning Gagan Narang explained, looking at the scoreboard. Narang had already won a Bronze medal at the 10m Air Rifle final and entered the 50m Rifle Prone match. The Indian shooter, world record holder in the 10m Air Rifle event, describes himself as an air rifle expert. But I am still learning the 50 meters events. I am happy that I made it in all the three finals, here in Changwon. I will try continue shooting good rounds in Beijing, at the next World Cup stage, he concluded. The Bronze medal went to 26-year old Russian shooter Alexei Kamenski, who shot ( ) points to win his first world cup medal. The Russian had never participated in an ISSF World Cup stage before. China entered two athletes into the final match, 22-year old Zhang Senmao and 26- year old Zhang Lei (the 2006 World Championship Bronze medallist). They finished in fourth and fifth place, respectively, preceding the second Indian finalist Sanjeev Rajput, who closed in sixth place. Ole Magnus Bakken, Norway s 20-year old Rifle shooter who won Bronze in the prone event, finished in the spotlight again by entering his second final match. Bakken closed the round in seventh, followed by first-time participant, Fedor Vlasov of Russia. Marco Dalla Dea ISSF NEWS 19

20 WC BEIJING ISSF WORLD CUP RIFLE AND PISTOL BEIJING THE SHOOTING FAMILY RETURNED TO THE HOME OF THE LAST OLYMPIC GAMES, BEIJING, WHERE THE SECOND STAGE OF THE 2009 ISSF WORLD CUP SERIES IN RIFLE AND PISTOL EVENTS WAS HELD FROM THE APRIL SOME OF THE 380 PARTICIPANTS FROM 44 NATIONS WHO MET HERE ARRIVED TO BEIJING FROM CHANGWON, KOREA, WHERE THE FIRST WORLD CUP OF THE SEASON HAD TAKEN PLACE ONE WEEK BEFORE. OTHERS CAME HERE TO TAKE PART IN THEIR FIRST INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION AFTER THE 2008 GAMES. AS WE ARE ENTERING THE SHOOTING SEASON, MORE AND MORE SHOOTERS ARE COMING TO COMPETE, AND THE RESULTS START REACHING THEIR HIGHEST LEVEL AGAIN AFTER THE WINTER BREAK. 20 ISSF NEWS

21 WC BEIJING WELCOME BACK TO THE HOME OF THE GAMES All Fotos: Beijing Organizing Committee / Dragon by Nyo T he Shooting Family returned to the home of the last Olympic Games, Beijing, where the second stage of the 2009 ISSF World Cup Series in Rifle and Pistol events was held from the April Some of the 380 participants from 44 nations who met here arrived to Beijing from Changwon, Korea, where the first World Cup of the season had taken place one week before. Others came here to take part in their first international competition after the 2008 Games. As we are entering the shooting season, more and more shooters are coming to compete, and the results start reaching their highest level again after the winter break. The participants were welcomed in Beijing by the ISSF Technical Delegate for this competition, Mr. David Parish, who met the shooters at the opening ceremony held at the shooting range. We have to highlight the excellent job of our friends of the Chinese Shooting Association, of the volunteers and of our juries, who contribute to the success of this competition, Mr. Parish said, speaking on behalf of ISSF President Mr. Olegario Vázquez Raña and of ISSF Secretary General, Mr. Horst G. Schreiber. The Secretary General of the Asian Shooting Confederation, Mr. Li Feng, welcomed back all the shooters to China. The best shooters of the world are competing against each other here in Beijing. Please, compete in the spirit of fair play and mutual understanding. We hope you obtain the best results, said Mr. Li Feng, speaking on behalf of the President of the Asian Shooting Confederation, H. E. Sheikh Salman Al Sabah. The official inauguration of the competition began with a colorful opening ceremony, where the Vice-Minister of the General Administration of Sports of China, Mr. Feng Jianzhong, declared the competition open along with the Vice-President of the Chinese Shooting Association, Mr. Gao Zhidan. MEDAL STANDINGS THE HOST COUNTRY LED THE MEDAL STANDINGS. As it occurred in the first ISSF World Cup stage of the year in Changwon, China finished ahead in the medal standings. The host country placed in first by winning four out of the ten competitions. Along with four Gold medals, the People s Republic of China also won four Silvers and one Bronze medal, reaching an outstanding total of nine medals. Australia obtained the second spot on the overall medal standings, winning one Gold and one Silver medal thanks to the efforts of Olympic Bronze Warren Potent (winner of the 50m Rifle Prone event) and of pistol shooter Lalita Yauhleuskaya (Silver in the 25m pistol women event). The Russian Federation and the United States of America tied in third place, winning one Gold and one Silver medal each. MEDAL STANDINGS NOC G S B TOTAL CHN AUS RUS USA HUN 1 1 KAZ 1 1 NOR 1 1 IND 2 2 FRA 1 1 SLO 1 1 SRB 1 1 SVK 1 1 BLR 2 2 CZE 2 2 CRO 1 1 TOTAL ISSF NEWS 21