2013 ISSF WORLD CUP SERIES KICKS OFF IN ACAPULCO
WITH BRAND NEW FINALS
New rules
& new finals: are you ready for the 2013 ISSF World Cup Series? Semi-finals
and medal match have been introduced, while the qualification score will not be
carried forward anymore. The new competition format will be run at the first
ISSF World Cup Stage of the year, kicking off in Acapulco in two days.
The 2013 ISSF
Shogun World Cup season is yet to start, and there’s something new in the air. A
new set of rules has been introduced after the 2012 Olympics: finals
will look different from now on.
Over 160
athletes coming from 27 countries will meet in Acapulco, Mexico, in two days.
On the 15th of March, the ISSF Shotgun World Cup Series kicks off from there.
Ten days of competition (15-24 March), to find out who will stand the
new rules. Several Olympic Champions are among the participants,
including the 2012 Olympic Gold medallists Jessica Rossi (ITA) and Vincent
Hancock (USA).
So, what’s
changed? The program is the same: Trap, Double Trap, and Skeet are
still the Olympic Shotgun events. But Finals are completely new.
After the qualification rounds - which are conducted under the old rules
– the top-six shooters advance to a semi-final – a new
competition stage. The qualification score is not carried forward: all the
semi-finalists start from zero.
Semi-finalists
compete on a reduced number of stations and targets. After the
semi-finals, the top-2 advance to theGold medal match, duelling for the
highest step of the podium. On the other side, the third and fourth ranked
semi-finalists enter the Bronze medal match, fighting neck and neck
for the third step of the podium.
In details, in the Trap
event, semi-finalists and medal match contenders will only compete on stations
2, 3 and 4, for a total of 15 targets. The same applies to Double Trap, on 15
doubles (30 targets). Skeet semi-finalists and finalists will compete on
stations 3, 4, 5 and then back to 4, shooting a double and a reverse double at
each station, for a total of 16 targets.
Sounds easy?
Well, it’s not. The new rules set the drama on the final stages.
Medal decisions are easier to understand, in favour of spectator
and TV audience. But the pressure is on the athletes. When the
qualification score goes back to zero, it’s all about stamina. Missing a target
in the semi-finals or in a medal match can really make the difference between
making it to the medals or not.
Who will
stand the pressure and make it to the top? We will find out soon, at the ISSF
Shotgun World Cup opening on March the 15th in Acapulco.
Posted by Thom Erik Syrdahl
Source- ISSF Website - http://www.issf-sports.org/news.ashx?newsid=1791
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