Published on 24 Sep 2013

Spotlight on Youth - Wilder (Junior Trap), gold in Lima before getting Senior. Iezzi drives Italy to win Team contest

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Alessandro Ceschi

Miranda Wilder won the Trap Women Junior event at the World Championship in Lima, Peru, at her last participation as a Junior. Alessia Iezzi of Italy won bronze and brought her time atop of Teams' podium.

Miranda Wilder of USA is the new Junior World Champion at Trap Women, having won the event at the 2013 ISSF World Championship in Lima, Peru. That was actually her last chance to win a medal as a Junior, since she will actually be competing as a Senior from next year on. 2nd place for Svetlana Krasheninnikova of the Russian Federation, while Alessia Iezzi won bronze, being crucial for her team (Italy) winning the contest.

"I'm feeling fantastic," said USA's Wilder right after the medal ceremony. "Being at my last year as a Junior, it's so nice to have this accomplishment under my belt, along with my 2010 win as well."

 

"During the competition I was a little bit nervous. I was so happy to have the support of my teammates and the coaches behind me 100%."

 

Svetlana Krasheninnikova of Russia started out real well-getting straightaway to the top scoreboard together with Italy's Alessia Montanino; the two of them couldn't avoid being overcome by Miranda Wilder of USA in the next shot, who the brilliantly kept the lead till the end--obtaining so the coveted gold medal.

 

1st place largely being taken by Wilder, the most interesting part of the match was about the remaining medals: just one round before the end of the game, Krasheninnikova was 2nd, in a tie with Montanino. Later on, Krasheninnikova finished in a tie for 2nd place, with Iezzi--leaving all the other shooters out of the podium. The final shoot-off was decided in no time, with the 19-year-old of Russia Krasheninnikova pocketing silver at the first round--while Italy's Iezzi (the youngest competitor of the day, together with Malika Wig of India) settled for the bronze.

 

One more shoot-of was contested, to decide the three next positions: Kimberly Bowers, Alessia Iezzi and Valeria Raffaelli indeed all closed their game with a total score of 63. The only hit in the first round was by Montanino of Italy, so coming 4th, 5th place was at last occupied by Raffaelli, (who beat Bowers, 6th, by 3-2).

 

 

Only one Italian was on the podium (Iezzi with a bronze), but two more of them (Montanino, 4th, and Raffaelli, 5th) were in the Top-5. This allowed Italy to secure the teams' gold with an overall score of 190 targets.

 

Just behind Italy, for silver, was Russia, thanks to silver medalist Krasheninnikova plus Khokhlova and  Chemchugova (respectively 8th and 12th), with 181 targets.

 

Finally, gold medalist's USA Team took bronze with 176, thanks to--other than Miranda Wilder--Kimberli Bowers (7th) and  Amber Culwell (18th).