Two first-timers clinch golds
New Delhi: Jolyn Beer of Germany and Italy’s Alessia Iezzi — both competing for the first time — won a medal each in the ISSF World Cup here on Saturday.
Beer clinched gold in the women’s 50m rifle three position and Iezzi bagged the top prize in women’s trap at the Dr Karni Singh ranges.
Jolyn beat top rifle shooter and former Olympic medallist Snjezana Pejcic of Croatia in a thrilling 45-shot final, finishing with a score of 459.9.
The Croat ended with 457.5 after overcoming China’s Zhang Yiwen in a bronze medal shoot-off. The Chinese finished with 448.2 in the eight-woman final.
Jolyn had won a World Cup stage gold last year and had another World Cup stage medal, but this was her first ever medal at the ISSF’s season-ending showpiece.
The day’s second final, the women’s trap, also saw a first-time winner when Italy’s Iezzi got the better of Spain’s Fatima Galvez 2-1 in a shoot-off after both were tied on 41 hits out of 50 at the end of the final.
Lebanon’s Bassil Ray won bronze with a score of 32, before being eliminated after the 40th shot.
China remained on top of the medal standings with one more day of competition and three finals left with two gold, two silver and five bronze medals. Italy are second with an identical collection of gold and silver medals but only one bronze.
India are fourth with one medal of each colour.