2014 ISSF WORLD CUP SERIES OPENED IN FT. BENNING. LUGINETS (RUS) POCKETED THE 1ST GOLD

The 2014 ISSF World Cup Series kicked-off in Fort Benning, GA, USA, today. Russia's Nazar Luginets won the first Gold medal of the season at the 10m Air Rifle Men event, finishing atop of the scoreboard by one tenth only, at the end of a breathtaking final match.

The 2014 ISSF World Cup Series kicks-off from Fort Benning, GA, USA, where the first Rifle and Pistol World Cup Stage is held from today right to the 3rd of April.

430 international athletes coming from 53 nations are participating in the Stage, for a total of 680 starts in the 10 Olympic events of Rifle and Pistol shooting.

Nazar Luginets, 24, from the Russian Federation, won the first medal match of the competition, the 10m Air Rifle Men event, securing the Gold with 209.4 points and one tenths of a point of advantage on the Silver medallist, today.

The Russian athlete beat Serbia's first time finalist Milutin Stefanovic, 29, who ended up in second place with 209.3 points, just one tenth behind Luginets, in spite of closing the final round with an excellent 10.9 shot. The 2013 European Champion, Sergey Richter, 24, from Israel, followed them on third step of the podium, pocketing the Bronze medal with 186.9 points.

“I am really happy, it's my first Gold medal in an ISSF World Cup, and I have been training a lot for this.” Luginets said, right after the last shot. The 24-year old athlete had won a Bronze medal at this year's European Championship, held in Moscow, the city where he's now living and training.

“I started practicing when I was only 6-year old. Shooting sport is a family business: both my father and my mother were shooters, and my father has been my first coach.”

Nazar says he has got the sport in his DNA, and after claiming his best international award ever, he's now looking forward to the next events of the international shooting season. “I will compete in both the ISSF World Cup Stages in Munich and Beijing, before going to the World Championship in Granada, Spain, in September.” There, the fist Olympic Quota Places, the entry tickets for Rio 2016, will be in his sights.

The ISSF World Cup Stage in Fort Benning will continue today with the 10m Air Pistol Women final, scheduled to take place at 3.15 PM (local time) this afternoon.

Follow the match on www.issf-sports.org