Russian shooter Maxim Stepanov, 36, pocketed the first Gold medal up for grabs at the ISSF Running Target World Championship in Suhl (GER), climbing the standings from the the 9th position he gained at the end of yesterday’s Slow Run.
“Yesterday wasn’t a good day for me, but I tried to stay focused and not lose confidence in my shooting. It’s the only way.” Said Stepanov at the end of the medal ceremony. “In the end I feel like I didn’t give my best, but luckily it was enough for the Gold medal.”
Stepanov duplicated the score of 295 points he recorded yesterday, concluding with 590 total points and preceding his teammate Mikhail Azarenko by just 1 points.
25-year-old Azarenko maintained the 2nd place he conquered after the Slow Run, adding 292 Fast Run points to the 297 he scored previously and concluding with 589.
Another great comeback was signed by Sweden’s Emil Martinsson, 36, who jumped from the 14th place he took yesterday to the 3rd he earned today with 587 points. To secure the Bronze medal Martinsson also had to go through a shoot-off with Finland’s Tomi-Pekka Heikkila, who also concluded with 587 points.
In the shoot-off, Martinsson claimed the Bronze medal thanks to two series of 20 points, prevailing over his Finnish rival as he scored a 19 on his second series.
Laszlo Boros, who was leading the match after the first 30 shots, scored 283 Fast Run points and slipped in 13th place.
The Russian Federation also pocketed the team Gold medal thanks to their two athletes on the podium and to Dmitry Romanov, who was 2nd at the end of the Slow Run and placed 11th today with 582 points.
Hungary’s Tamas Tasi, Laszlo Boros and Joszef Sike followed in 2nd place with 1746 points, while the Czech Republic placed 3rd with Miroslav Janus, Bedrich Jonas and David Pokorny, who totalled 1743 points.
The ISSF Running Target World Championship will continue tomorrow with the 50m Running Target Mixed Men and the 50m Running Target Mixed Men Junior.
News and updates about the ISSF Running Target World Championship will be available on the ISSF website and on the Federation’s social media profiles: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Weibo.