Published on 11 May 2005
Two equal World Records and Gold and Quota for France
Katharina Mückl
<b>With the best possible score of 600 after the qualification round, which equals the world record, the 50m Rifle Prone Final started off and stayed a neck and neck race between Valerian Sauveplane, 24, from France and Eric Uptagrafft, 39, from the United States of America.</b>
Both taking turns in the lead position in this final, Sauveplane, World Cup Bronze medal winner of Milan 2001, made the deciding ninth shot of 10.5, winning the Gold medal and Quota place for his nation for the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. Uptagrafft, two times World Cup Gold medal winner of Sydney 2004 and Fort Benning 2003, who shot a 9.6 at his ninth shot, placed second with a final score of 702.8.
Bronze went to Guy Starik, 40, from Israel. The three times Gold medal winner of Athens 2004, Munich 2003 and Milan 1997, shot a great final 0f 104.9. Not only did Starik outdo three other finalists, who started with the same qualification score of 597 he also overmastered Sergei Martynov from Belarus who was in a one point lead before the final. The seal for the medal was set in a shoot-off, which Starik decided in his favor 10.6 to 10.5.