He had won a Wolrd Cup Series, bak in 1995, but never a world cup stage. And after being around for more than 20 years, Nemanja Mirosavljev, 43, from Serbia, was really keen of stepping atop of that podium. Finally, he made it, here in Munich. And he made it after defeating difficult weather conditions during the qualifications, and tough opponents in the final.
“Finally I got the Gold! I have been winning every sort of medals. I won a Wolrd Cup Series. But I had never made it to the highest step of a world cup stage podium. It was my time, now!” Mirosavljev said, right after the award ceremony.
Munich's weather did not help him. Since days it rains. Wind and cold have been making everything just more difficult. But the Serbian champion knows how to deal with it, and he has his theory on how you should cope with the wind.
“Yesterday the weather was just bad, and I have been shading all day long. I am a specialist of this technique, and it works fine for me. Todasy there was not too much wind, so during the qualifications I was just trying to wait the right moment to shoot.”
“Shading works good for me. But I don't think you can rely on one technique only. I am adapting to the conditions. Most shooters are afraid to do so. I also was, when I had my old coach behind me. Then I started training alone, and I found out that this is the best way.”
The Serbian athlete led the kneeling series, with 155.5 points. Then, he was the fastest one in the change-over time to the Prone position: the Serbian athlete was indeed the first to fire a sighting shot, when three minutes were still left for sighting. During the Prone Series, Mirosavljev increased his lead by 0.6 points, up to 1.1 points on his followers, closing the series with 311.1 points.
During the standing series, the 2002 World Champion Marcel Buerge, 41, from Switzerland, overtook him by a few tenths. But the last 10-shots turned the tables of the match again. Buerge fall indeed on his 44th shot, when he scored a gold-killer 6.9 shot, that eventually placed him in third with a final score of 441.6 points.
The final shot was even more thrilling. Mirosavljev shot a spine-chilling 7.9. His direct opponent, the 2011 Wolrd Cup Champion Ole Kristian Bryhn of Norway, 24, scored a 10.8. A great shot, but not enough to make up Mirosavljev's 2.3-point advantage. The Serbian champion finally got his long-deserved world cup gold medal, with a total score of 454.5 points. At the same time, Bryhn pocketed the Silver, with 453.9 points.
Five-time Olympian Artem Khadjibekov, 43, one of the most experienced rifle shooters out there, was the first one to leave the match, after the 40th shot, during the standing series. The Russian champion took the eighth place with 397.2 points. He had to leave the match together with today's youngest finalist, Juho Kurki, 21, from Finland, who closed the match in seventh with 398.0 points.
Germany's Nicolas Schallenberger, 23, had never made to an ISSF world cup final match, before.
He left the match in sixth place after scoring a frustrating 8.0 on his 40th shot, during the standing position.
Italy's four-time Olympian Marco De Nicolo, 36, had only made it to a world cup final round in this event twice, in 1997 and 2005. Eight years after his last appearance, the Italian shooter placed
in fifth with 422.0 points.
The French rifle team did great, in the last days, with a Bronze medal won by Laurence Brize at the 50 Rifle 3 Positions Women event, and with the Gold medal won by Mickael D'Halluin at the 50m Rifle Prone Men. Today, they placed another shooter in a final: Cyril Graff, 32, who ended up in fourth, right behind the medallists, with 432.7 points.
The 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men event concluded the 2013 ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup in Munich. The ISSF World Cup Series will now move on to Cyprus, where the next ISSF Shotgun World Cup Stage will take place from the 8 through the 17 of June.