Same range, better outcome: 31-year-old Pistol shooter Celine Goberville of France climbed on the ISSF World Cup Final podium for the second time in 24 hours, as she added the women’s 10m Air Pistol Gold medal to the Silver she won yesterday in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team, alongside her teammate Florian Fouquet.
Goberville shot greatly during the whole final, distancing herself from the pack since the very first series. Her only bad shot came late in the match, as she hit a scary 8.5 on her second-to-last one, allowing People’s Republic of China’s Lin Yuemei to reduce the gap to 2.2-point, but sealing her victory with an excellent 10.1 on the following and conclusive shot.
Goberville finished with 240.9 points, while Lin closed her final with 237.0.
“The 8.5 at the penultimate shot was due to too much pressure,” Goberville said. “Actually, the last four were complicated, my heartbeat went up and I had a small loosening.”
“It’s my first medal since some time,” she added. “I went through a difficult period regarding my technique and sensations. We looked into it to get back to the source and now it’s finally coming back.”
“I will keep training during winter season, as usual, to get ready for next year’s World Championship which is my main goal for 2018. And to be ready I’ll shoot at the European Championship and at as many World Cup stages as I can,” concluded the Gold medalist.
With 218.7 points the Bronze medal was awarded to the current Olympic Champion in this event, People’s Republic of China’s 26-year-old Zhang Mengxue, who secured her second consecutive Bronze after the one she claimed at the 2016 ISSF World Cup Final in Bologna (ITA).
Outside of the podium positions, Zhang preceded Mexico’s 33-year-old Alejandra Zavala Vazquez, winner of the ISSF crystal globe in Bologna (ITA) in 2016, who finished in 4th posiiton with 198.7 points, and Rio 2016 Bronze medalist Anna Korakaki (21) of Greece, who placed 5th with 177.5 points.
Korakaki was followed by Chinese Taipei’s 21-year-old Yu Ai Wen in 6th place, who scored 158.1 in her first World Cup Final participation, and by the third Chinese finalist, Cao Xiaoxue (25), who placed 7th with 136.2.
The first athlete eliminated from the match was Switzerland’s experienced 48-year-old Heidi Diethelm Gerber, who finished 8th in her fifth World Cup Final start and scored 115.0 points.
The ISSF World Cup Final in New Delhi (IND) will continue today with the 10m Air Rifle Men final, scheduled at 1:00 pm (UTC+5:30), and the Skeet Women final, scheduled at 4:00 pm.
Live results of the competition, news and updates will be available on www.issf-sports.org and on all ISSF social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Weibo and Youku.