The 2018 ISSF Season kicked off in great style, as India’s Shahzar Rizvi claimed the 10m Air Pistol Men gold in Guadalajara (MEX), where the first stage of the ISSF World Cup Series has started today.
Making his debut in an ISSF World Cup, Rizvi shot consistently good through the whole match, grabbing the lead after the 14th shot and maintaining it until the very end. The 23-year-old — who previously placed 9th as a junior at the 2014 ISSF World Championship in Granada (ESP) — also signed a new World Record in this event, finishing with 242.3 points and the gold medal around his neck.
Germany’s Christian Reitz made his way into the Air Pistol final for the first time in a World Cup, climbing on the second step of the podium and taking Silver with 239.7 points. It’s the 23rd World Cup medal for the 30-year-old German, who previously won 11 golds, 6 silvers and 5 bronzes in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men event.
On the third step of the podium, Rizvi was joined by his teammate Jitu Rai (30) who took bronze with 219.0 points.
Om Prakash Mitharval (22) — India’s third final participant — finished just outside of the podium, placing 4th in his first World Cup appearance and sealing his debut with 198.4.
Brazilian experienced shooter Julio Almeida nailed his 34th World Cup start in this event, taking 5th place with 177.8 points.
Almeida was followed by Peru’s 29-year-old Marko Carrillo and France’s 25-year-old Florian Fouquet, who respectively took 6th and 7th place in their first final participation. Carrillo’s final score was 154.2 points, while Fouquet finished with 134.6.
United States’ Nickolaus Mowrer (29) — also a first-time finalist — was the first athlete eliminated from the match, finishing in 8th place with 112.0 points.
The ISSF World Cup in Guadalajara (MEX) will continue today with the 10m Air Rifle Women final, scheduled at 1:45 pm (UTC+6:00).
The finals will be streamed live on the ISSF website, on the Federation’s Livestream channel, on its official Facebook page and on the Olympic Channel.
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.