Germany’s Robin Walter and China’s Li Xue won 10m air pistol titles on the opening day of the International Sport Shooting Federation (ISSF) World Cup final at the Lusail Shooting Range yesterday.
Walter, who added European Championship silver this year to the gold he won in 2022, secured his place atop another podium after a qualifying competition from which all three of this year’s World Championship medallists failed to emerge.
Silver went to Italy’s 25-year-old world No 3, the highest-ranked shooter in the final, with Latvia’s Emils Vasermanis earning bronze.
Later in the day, Xue earned a dramatic victory to lead a Chinese clean sweep in the women’s 10m air pistol event. Li, 23, trailed her 19-year-old compatriot Zhao Nan by 0.2 points before the pair fired their two concluding shots – and she moved ahead by 0.4 points after her opening 10.3 had been swiftly followed by a relatively disappointing 9.7 from her younger rival.
Li, who won world bronze in Baku earlier this year shooting marginally earlier than her opponent and scoring 10.8, just 0.1 short of perfection. Zhao improved with a final 10.1, but gold was comfortably for Li with a total of 244.7 as the teenager finished with 243.6.
In the penultimate round of shooting China’s world champion and world No 2 Jiang Ranxin had to settle for bronze, 0.2 points adrift of the leading pair.
Earlier on Monday, the event began with a grand opening ceremony held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Speaking on the occasion, ISSF President Luciano Rossi hinted that Qatar may also host the event next year.
“I am confident, inshallah, that Qatar will even host the 2024 World Cup final again in the year of the Olympics, where we can celebrate all together the Olympic medallists.”
He added the next year Qatar was set to host “the most important competition before Paris 2024 – the shotgun qualification tournament where the last quota places will be claimed.”
A total of 179 athletes from 42 nations are in the Qatari capital to contest the 12 individual events that will be part of next year’s Olympic programme, with the additional excitement of Super Finals for selected disciplines.
Among the audience was three-times Olympic champion and six-times Olympian Kimberly Rhode.
Also in attendance were Croatia’s London 2012 trap gold medallist and current world and European Games champion Giovanni Cernogoraz, and Italy’s London 2012 women’s trap gold medallist and three-times world champion Jessica Rossi.
“It is a great honour for me to be with you today for the opening of the ISSF World Cup Final 2023 – a hugely welcome addition to our calendar that we strongly re-establish after a four-years absence,” the ISSF president said.
The ISSF president thanked Qatar Olympic Committee President HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani for his support of this event.
“And a special thanks to the President of the Qatar Shooting and Archery Federation Mishaal Al Nasr. He has worked hard and his federation,” he added.
First-placed Germany’s Robin Walter (centre), second-placed Italy’s Paolo Monna (left) and third-placed Latvia’s Emils Vasermanis celebrate on the podium of the ISSF World Cup final 10m air pistol event at the Lusail Shooting Range in Doha yesterday.
First-placed China’s Li Xue (centre), second-placed Zhao Nan (left) and third-placed Jiang Ranxin celebrate on the 10m air pistol podium.
