China’s national hero Zhu Qianan won the
10m Air Rifle Men event at the 2009 ISSF World Cup Final in Wuxi. The Olympic
Champion of Athens and Silver medallist of the last Game of Beijing climbed
from the second place with an outstanding final of 103.7 points, ending up in the
lead with a total score of 702.7 points. By winning the last title of the
season, the 24-year old Chinese shooter confirmed his leadership in the Air
Rifle World Ranking.
Walking into the final hall in second place, with a qualification score of 598 points, Zhu started climbing from the first shot. He jeopardized his chances of victories on his fourth and sixth final shot, when he fired 9.8 and 9.5 points, but he was able to recover during the second half of the match also thanks to the mistakes of his opponents. The Chinese spectators crowding Wuxi’s Shooting Hall celebrated with him his third World Cup Final Gold medal, following his victories at the 2004 and 2007 editions.
Sidi (HUN) in second, after an 8.5
Hungary’s Peter Sidi, currently second in the World Ranking behind Zhu, had started in the lead after the qualifications with 599 points. Trying to manage his advantage, he missed on his seventh final shot, when he fired a disappointing 8.5 sliding in second place “I was tired – said Sidi right after the final – I don’t know exactly what happened, I am just a little bit stressed by the time change…”He closed the round in second place, winning Silver with 700.5 points.
Olympic Bronze Hakkinen on the podium
The Olympic Bronze medallist of Beijing Henry
Hakkinen of Finland, 29, won the World Cup Final Bronze medal with a total
score of 698.6 points. Qualified with a score of 595 points, the Finnish
shooter climbed on the podium overtaking China’s Cao Yifei by shooting a final
of 103.6 points.
Cao finished in fourth place with 698.5
points, followed by Czech Republic’s Vaclav Haman and by India’s Gagan Narang.