World Champ Klimov won the Rapid Fire final, coming back upon the podium after 2 years

The Russian champion beat China's Hu and the home hero Reitz to climb upon the highest step of the podium. “I am back in shape” he claimed, on the lead up to the world championship.

The reigning World Champion Alexei Klimov, 38, from the Russian Federation, won today's 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men event, beating the first-time finalist Hu Haozhe of the People's Republic of China.

Klimov score 33 hits, leaving Hu (30 hits) in second place, and the home shooter Christian Reitz in third with 25 hits.

The Russian champion had won his last ISSF medals back in 2012. “I've changed everything in the last two years.” He explained. “I have a new pistol, I did a new grip, and I have also been working on my technique. It took time to build up that confidence I had before.”

“I have a 6-month old daughter at home. She does not let me sleep too much I have to say, but I dedicate this medal to her. Being a father changed me!” Klimov said, with a smile on his face. “I feel great, I am back in shape.”

2014 is the right season to come back: we're amid of the Olympic cycle, with only a few months to go to the World Championship, and two years away from the Olympic Games.

“We've a rule in our team: we can only compete in three world cup stages per year. I will compete at the next world cup in Maribor, and then skip the last one in Beijing. I will get ready for the world championship in Granada then.”

Klimov will arrive in Granada as the title holder, trying to secure one of the first Olympic quota places of Rio 2016 that will be assigned there. But apparently he does not feel the pressure.

“I am not approaching to the World Championship as the title defender. Four years later, everything starts from zero. It's a new game. I am working on it, and I will give my best.”

In Granada, Klimov will certainly meet again Germany's Christian Reitz, a 2008 Olympic Bronze medallist who placed in third, today.

Reitz started off today's match with two great 5-hit series out of the first three series, which lifted him atop of the scoreboard. But then, two disappointing 3 and 2-hit series pushed him down in third place, where he closed the final pocketing the Bronze medal with a score of 30 hits.

The winner of the first ISSF World Cup stage of the year, USA's Keith Senderson (USA) currently ranked second in the world, took the fourth place behind him with 23 hits, after loosing a shoot-off against Hu and Reitz. He was followed by the first-time finalist from France, Clement Besseguet, 23, placed in fifth, with 17 hits.

Zhang Jian (28), the Chinese athlete who had won a world championship silver medal here in Munich back in 2010 after fighting should and shoulder against Klimov, was the first to leave today's elimination-style final, and placed in sixth placed with 10 hits. Zhang run into an non-allowed malfunction on his fourth competition series, dropping down to the last line of the scoreboard.

Follow the 2014 ISSF World Cup in Munich on www.issf-sports.org