Two of the best shotgun shooters of the world met at today’s Trap Men gold medal match, the closing event of the 2016 ISSF Shotgun World Cup Final in Rome, Italy.
The 2012 Olympic champion Giovanni Cernogoraz of Croatia (33), defended the world cup title he had won in Nicosia last year, beating the current world champion Erik Varga of Slovakia (40), after they both qualified for the medal match with an equal score of 14 hits in the semi-final.
Cernogoraz took an early lead as Varga missed his second clay in the gold medal match, and left no chances to his opponents by completing the round with a perfect tally of 15 hits out of 15 targets, to Varga’s 14.
“Yesterday, during the first day of the trap competition, weather conditions were really challenging due to the wind the and the light changes,” Cernogoraz said. “But today it was perfect. I am really happy with the final result.”
“I won the world cup series last season, and it’s great to keep the ISSF Globe also this year. This is a nice way to close the season, after a disappointing result in Rio de Janeiro. I finished in 9th there.”
“Today’s victory gives me new motivations,” he continued, “I will take a break and start again in January to prepare for the 2017 season. I am already looking forward: the next aim is to win a quota place for Tokyo 2020.”
Four shooters tied at 13 hits at the end of the semi-final. Poland’s 28-year old Piotr Kowalczyk and Spain’s Antonio Bailon (32) passed through the following shoot-off with 13+2 hits, making it into the bronze medal match and leaving the Rio 2016 Olympic Champion Josip Glasnovic of Croatia (33) in 5th place with 13+1 and the winner of this year’s world cup stage in San Marino Jiri Liptak of Czech Republic in 6th with 13+0 hits.
In the following bronze medal match, Bailon prevailed over Kowalczyk by 11 to 10 clays, joining Cerogoraz and Varga on the podium.
The men’s Trap final was the last competition of this 2016 ISSF Shotgun World Cup, which was held at the Valle Aniene Shooting Range in Rome, Italy.
The best 55 shotgun shooters of the world, coming from 25 countries, qualified to participate in the Final by gaining points throughout this year’s ISSF World Cup stages in Nicosia, Rio de Janeiro, Baku and San Marino. Here they met the Rio 2016 Olympic medalists, and the title defenders, aiming at the ISSF Globes - the world cup final trophies.
The 2017 ISSF Shotgun World Cup Series will kick-off in New Delhi, India where the first world cup stage of the year will be held from the 22nd of February through the 4th of March.