Published on 27 Aug 2005
Sokolov makes the top after great nervousness
Katharina Mückl, Photo: Wolfgang Schreiber
<b>The young Russian athlete Denis Sokolov, 22, and Bronze medallist of the ISSF World Cup in Changwon 2005, which was his qualification for the ISSF World Cup Final in Munich 2005, in the 10m Air Rifle Men event, finished with a narrow victory after his unsatisfactory first two shots of 9.9 and 9.5 during the final.</b>
“I was extremely nervous and I had problems to find my way”, said Sokolov after the final. Due to his two point advantage at the beginning of the final, he could afford these two misplaced shots and eventually finished 1.1 points ahead of Alin George Moldoveanou, 22, from Romania, winner of two Silver medals in Munich and Milan this year. The battle for the third place was decided between the two athletes from the United States of America Ryan Tanoue, 22, and Jason Parker, 31. At the eighth final shot of 9.3 by Parker, Tanoue took the chance by hitting a 10.3 and he grasped Parker’s place, Even through his last two better shots of 10.7 and 10.4, Parker could not recur his position and had to leave the Bronze medal to his team mate Tanoue, winner of the World Cup in Munich, earlier this year.