Mikhail Azarenko finally made it. The 27-year old Russian shooter won his first 50m Running Target Men event as a senior shooter today, in Changwon, at the 52nd ISSF World Championship in all events.
Azarenko has been one of the best junior running target shooters between 2008 and 2010, when he won four junior world and two European titles, but then struggled in his transition to the senior category.
Today he made it to the highest step of the podium, and he did it in style, by beating one of the strongest shooters of the world - Poland’s Lukasz Czapla - in a shoot-off.
Azarenko and Czapla finished competition tied in the lead, with 589 points. It was the shoot-off that turned the tables in favor of the Russian, who scored 20 hits to Czapla’s 19, claiming his first world title.
Czapla claimed silver, a medal that adds to his impressive showcase, which already includes 9 world championship titles as well as five European titles, won in the different running target events.
Today’s Bronze medal went to Finland’s Tomi-Pekka Heikkila, with 587 points. The 28-year old from Kangasala had never won a senior medal in this event, before.
Azarenko’s victory also propelled the Russian Federation atop of the Teams’ podium, with 1759 points scored by Azarenko, Dmitry Romanov and Maxim Stepanov. They beat the experts of the Swedish team, Emil Martinsson, Jesper Nyberg and Niklas Bergstroem, who collected today’s silver with 1756.
The host nation, the Republic of Korea, followed them in third place claiming another medal, with 1738 points (Ha Kwangchul, Cho Se Jong and You Jin Jeong).
On the same 50m Running Target layouts, France’s 18-year old Nicolas Tranchant claimed the junior men title with 579 points, leaving Ukraine’s 16-year old Danylo Danilenko in second place with 574 points. Completing the podium in bronze position, Norway’s Espen Teppdalen Nordsveen (17) shot 572 points to win his first medal in this event.
The 50m Running Target Men Junior Team event was conducted as a Grand Prix event only, and was won by Team Ukraine with 1708 points scored by Danilenko, Maksym Babushok and Denys Babiliuk.