The 2008 and 2012 Olympic Champion, USA's Vincent Hancock, won today's Skeet Men final at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Acapulco, Mexico.
Hancock turned out to be the protagonist of an exceptional competition. First he qualified for the Finals with a perfect score of 125 hits, equalling the world record, and then hit all of the semi-final targets and of the medal match targets, leaving no chances to his opponents.
It had never happened before: since the new Skeet rules are in place, nobody had ever shuttered all the clays from the first qualification series straight to the Gold meal match.
“It's exactly what I wanted. I have been shooting well, but I switched to my Beretta DT11 two months ago, so I haven't shot a lot with it, but it works really well.” The champion said, diplaying self confidence.
“I am excited. This is a great way to begin the season. This year has Olympic points on the line for us, so I have to win as many world cup medals as I can.” Said Hancock, who has already won a Rio 2016 slot at the 2014 CAT, and is now collecting points to make the 2016 US Olympic team.
“Typically, when I start a new season I shot a lot of rounds. I would shoot 500 shells per day. But not this time. Last year it has been a long one, so I took it easy and tried to carry on what I had gained in 2014.” He added.
“This Wolrd Cup was the first stepping stone to get to the next Olympic Gold medal.” Vincent concluded, looking forward to Rio 2016.
In the Gold medal match, he met and beat by 16 to 14 hits Italy's Valerio Luchini, 31, the athlete who had established the 125-hit world record at last year's ISSF World Cup in Beijing. Luchini qualified with 122 hits today, and then hit 15 targets in the semi-final and shot-off his teammate Riccardo Filippelli before meeting Hancock.
Riccardo Filippelli, 34, pocketed today's Bronze medal beating by 16 to 15 hits Mexico's 18-year old Luis Raul Gallardo Oliveros, playing on his home turf here in Acapulco. The young Mexican athlete had never competed in an ISSF World Cup medal round, and his best world cup placement had been a 59th place in Tucson, Arizona, last year. On the other side, Filippelli had won one of last year's ISSF World Cup Stages, in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Both Luchini and Filippelli secured an Olympic Quota place for Rio 2016: Italy gained two quotas in one match, reaching the maximum number of qualification slots (2 quotas) for the next Games.
Another Italian shooter, the 2014 European Champion Luigi Lodde, 34, from Italy, currently ranked fifth in the world, placed in fifth with 12 hits in the semi-final. He was followed by Federico Gil, 26, from Argentina, competing in his first ISSF World Cup final match today, who placed in sixth with 12 hits as well.
The Skeet Men Final concluded the program of the inaugural 2015 ISSF World Cup in Acapulco, Mexico.
The ISSF World Cup Series will now move on to Al Ain (UAE), where the second ISSF Shotgun World Cup Stage of the season will be held starting form the 19th of March. The first medal match, the Trap Women Finals, will take place on the 21st of March.
Follow the event live on the web at www.issf-sports.org.