ISSF World Cup Rifle / Pistol · Munich, GER

The 2000 Olympic Silver medalist won today’s 50m Rifle Prone Men final at the ISSF World Cup in Munich, Germany, beating home hero Junghaenel

The ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup in Munich, Germany, continued today with a classic event: the 50m Rifle Prone men final.

The match saw a thrilling duel between the Sydney 2000’s Olympic silver medalist Torben Grimmel of Denmark, 40, and world rank’s #2 Henri Junghaenel, 28, from Germany, competing on his home turf here in Munich.

Junghaenel, who had won the pre-Olympic test event in Rio de Janeiro last month, moved in the lead after the seventh shot. But soon Grimmel reached him, and the two finalists shot neck and neck right to the end of the round, exchanging position in first and second place several times.

Nailing two 10.8 out of his last four shots, it was Grimmel who finally claimed the brightest medal, with a score of 210.6 points to Junghaenel’s 209.6.

“It has been hard for me, as I had a bit of difficulties in getting into my optimal position, that’s why I had a couple of shots going out to the right. But I figured it out, and got it to work.” Grimmel said.

“The pressure of the match was big. I knew that we were close, but I was trying to focus just on my shots, that’s all I can do, and luckily I was the best today.”

Grimmel had won also the first world cup stage of the season, in Bangkok, last March, and he’s now in the spotlights on the road to Rio.

“In the lead-up to the Olympics I am trying to do what I normally do, staying focused on my technique. Because at the end it’s a competition like any other competition, the guys are the same, more and less, the pressure is higher of course, but I am trying to keep it simple!”

The 2004 Olympic Champion Matthew Emmons of USA, 35, an experienced 30-time world cup medalist, finished in third place today, pocketing the Bronze medal with 187.2 points.

Stian Bogar of Norway, 39, followed him in fourth with 166.1 points, while the 1992 Olympic Bronze medalist Stevan Pletikosic of Serbia, 44, landed in fifth position with 145.7 points.

Croatia’s Bojan Durkovic, 26, who had won an ISSF World Cup Final bronze here in Munich last year, closed the match in sixth place with 125.0 points.

Today’s final also marked the comeback of Israel’s 4-time Olympian Guy Starik, 51, who made it to an ISSF final match four years after his last appearance, at the 2012 ISSF World Cup in London. The experienced shooter left the match after the eighth shot, placing 8th with a score of 79.8 points. The first-time finalist Claude-Alain Delley of Switzerland, 26, followed him two shots later, placing in seventh with 103.0 points,

The ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup in Munich continues this afternoon with the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men Final, scheduled at 16.00 (GMT+1). Follow the match live on www.issf-sports.org