Published on 31 Jan 2008
SHOOTER OF THE YEAR 2007 ELECTED
Based on their outstanding performances during the 2007 shooting season, the pistol shooter Ying CHEN from China and the skeet shooter George ACHILLEOS from Cyprus were elected by the members of the International Association of Shooting Sport Journalists, a special commission of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS), as the shooters of the year for 2007.
YING CHENG
The 29-year-old current world champion on the 25m pistol category, China’s Ying CHEN, offered a constant high-level performance at this year’s shooting season, 2007. She started the year with two gold medals- winning the World Cup in Fort Benning, USA and the World Cup in Sydney, AUS. The end of the season, at the World Cup Final, she concluded by winning the trophy of the Best in the World for 2007 on the 25m pistol event and became the Asian Champion in Kuwait City. This is the first time she has won the title World’s best female shooter of the year after winning a second place in 2006.
Following in second and third place were Germany’s Sonja PFEILSCHIFTER and China’s Li DU, who won this award last year. The Shooting Sport Journalists credited the three times Gold medal winner of World Cups and the Bronze medallist of the European Champions of the year 2007, Sonja PFEILSCHIFTER, with the runner-up position going to Ying CHEN. Li DU from China, four times winner of the 10m air rifle match at the World Cup Final since 2004 and winner of the World Cup in Sydney and the Asian Champion of Kuwait City, ranked three out of all female shooters.
GEORGE ACHILLEOS
During this 24th election for shooter-of-the-year, a very clear victory was decided in favour of 26-year-old Cypriot, George ACHILLEOS, who performed in an outstanding manner throughout the year 2007. ACHILLEOS became the Skeet World Champion in his hometown of Nicosia, after having won one Gold medal at the 2007 World Cup in Santo Domingo, having taken the European Champion title in Granada and finishing the season with another victory at the World Cup Final in Belgrade.
The second place in the Shooter of the Year election went to the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol shooter Penghui ZHANG from China, who won two gold medals at the 2007 World Cup Series and became the Asian Champion in Kuwait City. Third place went to Matthew EMMONS from the United States of America, this year’s World Cup Final winner in the 50m rifle 3 positions event and winner of the World Cup in Fort Benning, USA. EMMONS took eight more medals in the World Cup Series 2007 by winning silver five times and bronze twice in all three rifle Events.
The 2007 shooter-of-the-year award will be granted to the first place winners on the occasion of the World Cup in Beijing, in April 2008.