SKEET MEN: FILIPPELLI WON, TORE BROVOLD QUIT, KAZAKHSTAN CELEBRATED, AND SVENSSON DROVE AWAY.

Today's Skeet Men final ended up with a first time finalist winning Gold (Italy's Filippelli), an Olympic medallist announcing his retirement (Norway's Brovold), and historical medal win by Kazakhstan (Yechshenko) and an equalled world record (Sweden's Svensson) awarded a Land Rover by the sponsors.

Riccardo Filippelli of Italy won today's Skeet Men Gold medal match at the 204 ISSF World Cup in Shotgun events taking place in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The 33-year old Italian shooter pocketed the brightest medal at his first try, at his debut in the ISSF World Cup Series. And he did it by beating the 2008 Olympic Silver medallist Tore Brovold, 43, from Norway, 15 to 14 hits in the Gold medal match.

“Brovold has been my idol for years. I started shooting Skeet in 2008, when he won that Olympic Silver medal. It has been an honor for me to compete against him, and I still can't believe that I eventually won!” Filippelli said, after the podium ceremony.

The Italian winner, coached by the 2004 Olympic Champion Andrea Benelli, started shooting six years ago. “It all started thanks to a friend of mine, a shooter, who invited me to try it. Something clicked between me and the shooting sport, and I started training harder and harder.” Riccardo explained.

“I am trying to give my best, now it's up to my coach, I still don't know if and where else I will be competing this year.” Filippelli concluded. Pressure back on coach Benelli now, who will have to decide the team for the upcoming ISSF World Championships soon.

Today's final turned out to be a special one for Tore Brovold too, in spite of all. Indeed, the 10-time world cup medallist announced his retirement. “This has been my last world cup stage competition.” He said. “I qualified for the world cup final, so I will be there, but today's has been the last time I competed in a regular world cup. It has been a good match, and I like the way Filippelli is shooting. I have been watching him and he's definitely a good shooter.”

Brovold started competing back in 1997, piling up a number of international medals: two European Championships Gold, ten world cup medals, two world cup titles (2004 and 2008) as well as two World Championships podium placements. In 2008, he turned out to be one of the protagonists of the Beijing's Games, winning a Silver medal after dueling against an unbeatable Vincent Hancock.

“I am quitting, but I might end up staying in this world. I have some projects, but it's too early to speak about that.” Brovold said, wearing his last world cup medal in Almaty.

But there's a third story, in this Skeet Men final. And that's the story of Alexandr Yechshenko, the home shooter who won Bronze, securing the first medal in this competition for the host country.

Yechshenko, 26, had never won an international medal before. But here, shooting on his home ground, he gave his best, qualifying with 123 hits and then passing through the semi-final with 14 hits. In the following Bronze medal match, he met the expert finalist Abdullah Alrashidi, a 50-year old five-time Olympian. The two finalists ended up tied with 14 hits, but Yechshenko won the following shoot-off 6 to 4 hits, supported by the home crowd. And that was an historical victory: the last ISSF World Cup Skeet medal of Kazakhstan (one of the only two) had been won by Sergey Yakshin back in 2006.

So, Filippelli won, Brovold quit, and Kazakhstan celebrated. And then Svensson drove away. The Swedish finalist ended up in fifth place, but went back home on a new Land Rover Discovery, awarded to him by the sponsors as he equalled the world record of 124 hits during the qualifications.