The air rifle shooter, number one ranked in the world, Yang Haoran, 18, who triumphed in his home country today

World number one Yang claims gold at home with 5-point lead

Chinese prodigy outplays Armenia's Babayan and Hungary's Peni at Nanjing 2014 to win Air Rifle in home country

It all went smoothly for Yang Haoran, 18, who triumphed in his home country today at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China. The air rifle shooter, number one ranked in the world and Junior Final World Record holder, met his fans' expectations and swept away his opponents' hopes as he took over Men's 10m Air Rifle with a stunning five-point lead on 18-year-old of Armenia Hrachik Babayan, stuck at 204.3. Hungary's Istvan Peni, 17, came third (183.5). Both Babayan and Peni won their first international medal.

Reigning World Champion Yang was glad about getting to celebrate in China. "[Here] People pay more attention to me," he said. That also translated into lots of cheering from the local supporters at the Fangshen Hall, which combined with the background music were at times challenging for Yang. "[It] was distracting," he said. "But I tried very hard to concentrate on the competition, and I think I did it well. To stay calm, I focus on other things and take a deep breath." Right from the start, Yang showed that it would be a good day for him. After securing the highest score of the first round, 31.5, he hit a brilliant 10.9 in the second. Then, he had a 1.5-point lead, but that just kept growing throughout the game. As Uzbekistan's Vadim Skorovarov, 18, hit a 9.5 to near him, Yang got back with a 10.9 and firmly held on to first place. He then easily kept runner-up Babayan at a safe distance. 

"I was very nervous," silver medallist Babayan said. "But I tried not to show it and focus on my shooting. Yang is very strong, but I would like to overtake him one day. I [also] would like to take part in the Olympic Games in Rio and win a gold medal."

Babayan made his way to second position as he overcame Skorovarov when there just five shots left. Skorovarov, a gold medallist at this year's Asian Shooting Championship, had been second and Yang's main competitor till that moment, but eventually spoiled his performance with a couple of out-of-ten hits and settled for fourth place (162.9). Bronze medallist Peni made it to the podium taking advantage of Skorovarov's blackout, but had to give up to Yang's impressive skills. "He's now the best shooter in the world, so it was really hard," Peni said. "I hoped that I could beat him, but today he was the best, absolutely." Peni will get to face Yan again at the World Championship in Granada, in less than a month. "I'm looking forward to [it]," Peni said. "I hope that there I will beat him."

Olympic Silver medallist Ivana Maksimovic, who is in Nanjing as an Athlete Role Model, was in the hall for the final. She got the chance to see her fellow countryman Andrija Milovanovic in action. Milovanovic, 18, took fifth place (142.2) after a dramatic match, during which he went through two shoot-off duels. First, he outdid 17-year-old of Mexico Valdes Martinez (eighth, 81.1); then, 15-year-old of Italy Suppini (sixth, 122.2), the youngest finalist. Lu Shao-Chuan of Chinese Taipei, 17, came seventh (101.8).

This was the fourth of six shooting events at Nanjing 2014; tomorrow there will be the 10m Air Pistol Mixed International Teams, whereas on Friday the program will end with the 10m Air Rifle Mixed International Teams. You can follow the competition on Twitter at the hashtag #YOGshooting.

Alessandro Ceschi

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RESULTS - 10m Air Rifle Men

1. YANG Haoran

2. BABAYAN Hrachik

3. PENI Istvan

20.08.2014

Posted By Thom erik Syrdahl

Source ISSF Website

2nd Youth Olimpic Games in Nanjing - 3th day of Competition, Air Rifle Women

 Silver medalist Martina Lindsay VELOSO of Singapore, Gold medalist Sarah HORNUNG of Switzerland and Bronze medalist Julia BUDDE of Germany 

European bronze Hornung beats World Cup bronze Veloso to win Air Rifle in Nanjing

18-year-old of Switzerland comes out on top in close duel with pre-competition favorite of Singapore. Germany's Budde takes bronze

Switzerland's Sarah Hornung, 18, took over Women's 10m Air Rifle, the third of six shooting events at the Youth Olympics in Nanjing. Hornung, a bronze medallist at the latest European Championship in Moscow, beat Singapore's Martina Veloso by a slight 0.6 points. Veloso had come into the event as a favorite, after a bronze in Munich last June had given her the status of youngest ISSF World Cup medallist ever. Third place went to Germany's Julia Budde, 18.

As all expectations were on Veloso, Hornung was reasonably carefree. “I didn’t expect to have this kind of success,” she said. No matter the crowded Fangshan Shooting Hall, Hornung managed to stay focused.“I completely isolated myself and didn't listen to the others,” she said. “I just did my own thing.”

Veloso recognized that there was pressure on her. "Maybe there were expectations,” she said. “But I shouldn't be thinking of it." To her, the noise from the audience made quite a difference. “It wasn't that easy to make myself calm,” she said. (To focus, she even tried to sing to herself.) “It was different. I don't know why, but it was just different.” At first, though, she had not even realized what the atmosphere behind her was like. “I didn't really know that there were a lot of people,” she said. “But when I shot a high ten I could hear the people and I was like… [gasps amused]." On the other hand, Veloso said that the “competition is fun.”

The race to the podium positions took shape as only Hornung, Budde, Veloso and Iraq's Najmeh Khedmati were still in the competition. As Khedmati was heading towards fourth place, Budde hit a well-timed 10.6 to tighten the gap between her and Hornung to just 0.3, but Veloso eventually came in with a stunning 10.9 to outdo the German shooter.

As the duel between Hornung and Veloso started, the Suisse athlete was leading by 0.9 points. Over the next decisive shots, that became first 0.7 and finally 0.6; not much, but enough for Hornung to make it to the gold.

Bronze medallist Budde was satisfied with her performance. “It's my best result,” she said.“[I feel] very good [about it].” She then commented on a new event which will be staged next Friday. “I'm curious to find out what the Mixed Team competition means”, she said. “We all don't know much about it and we are looking forward to it.”

To Veloso, the missed gold was anyway less important than the gained silver. “I'm just really happy that I got [it],” she said. “[After Munich] I had to start from ground zero. [Today] I had to forget about all those medals I won before. I just really had to focus on this competition and not think about anything else."

Today's medal, though, is not the only memory that Veloso will bring back to Singapore. "Back at the [Olympic] Village we get to do CEP, Cultural Exchange Program,” she said. “We can learn about other cultures and we can also make friends from other countries.”

Alessandro Ceschi

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RESULTS - 10m Air Rifle Women

1. HORNUNG Sarah

2. VELOSO Martina Lindsay

3. BUDDE Julia

19.08.2014

Posted by Thom Erik Syrdahl

Source ISSF Website

Nanjing 2th Youth Olimpic Games - Men's 10m Air Pistol

Pistol favorite Korostylov smoothly wins in Nanjing

The 16-year-old of Ukraine beat Korea's Kim by 3.6 points at the second shooting event of the competition

Pavlo Korostylov of Ukraine, the favorite at Men's 10m Air Pistol at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, proved to be a safe bet as he took over this morning's final with a staggering total score, 203.4, and a solid 3.6-point lead upon silver medallist Kim Cheongyong of Korea. 14-year-old of France Edouard Dortomb, the youngest finalist, secured the third step on the podium. Korostylov, 16, became the second gold medallist for shooting at Nanjing 2014 after Agata Nowak, who had won the women's event yesterday.

Korostylov stayed focused despite the clapping and cheering from the stands at the Fangshan Shooting Hall, as well as some background music which nicely filled the voids between the shots. (The first round was accompanied by The Police's "Every Breath You Take".) “Music is not a problem [to me],” he said. “[I just try to] empty my mind and not think of anything [else].”

The closest contender of Korostylov, Kim, 17, was in a tie for first place right at the beginning, when both he and Armenia's Zaven Igityan had had the same score in the first series (30.4). Kim then kept shooting consistently, always nearing the top position. But when he found himself fighting a duel with Korostylov, he was already 4.0 points behind him with only two shots to go. That was too much for Kim, who settled for the silver (199.8).

About halfway through the event, Kim was in a tie with Dortomb. The French wasn't eventually able to keep up with his Korean opponent, but claimed third place (178.6). “I'm 14 years old, this is extraordinary for me,” he said. “I feel really good.” Like Korostylov, Dortomb wasn't bothered by the loud crowd nor by the music. “I just concentrated on my shooting,” he said. “I'm used to [the noise].” What Dortomb wasn't probably used to was such a major competition as the Youth Olympics. “The organization is giant,” he said amazed.

As, after the eighth shot, Sukhrab Turdyyev of Kazakhstan, 16, was leaving the competition to take last place (76.7), Bulgaria's Aleskandar Todorov, a peer of Turdyyev, had just taken the lead. Todorov, though, wasn't then able to keep it, ending up in fourth (156.0). Igityan, 15, was fifth (137.4), whereas Uzebkistan's Vladimir Svechnikov was sixth (117.6). Wu Jiay, who was competing on his home turf, was just seventh (98.1).

Today's winner managed not to feel any pressure at all. “It was just the same as a training session,” said Korostylov, who added that whether it's “a competition inside Ukraine or a European Championship,” that makes no difference to him. All he thinks of anyway is to “score every point.” Korostylov had won a bronze medal earlier this season, his first as a Senior, at the World Cup in Munich in June; there, he had confessed us that he wouldn't like shooting as a child, and back then, his mum would pay him some money to have him on the range.

Alexander Kaminskyy, Korostylov's three-time Olympian coach, easily outlined his pupil's way to Rio 2016. “We'll go the World Championship in Granada [in September],” he said. “And if possible we'll take a quota for the Olympic Games.” But there will be no changes at Korostylov's preparation. “Why change?” Kaminskyy said. “Good results. Same.” And he's right, of course.

Alessandro Ceschi

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RESULTS - 10m Air Pistol Men

1. KOROSTYLOV Pavlo

2. KIM Cheongyong

3. DORTOMB Edouard

18.08.2014

Posted by Thom Erik Syrdahl

Source  -  ISSF Website

2ND YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES, CHN, 2014 - Finals 10m Air Pistol Women Youth

NANJING - AUGUST 17: (L-R) Silver medalist Margarita LOMOVA of the Russian Federation, Gold medalist Agata NOWAK of Poland and Bronze medalist Minjung KIM of the Republic of Korea pose with their medals after the 10m Air Pistol Women Youth Finals at the Fangshan Shooting Hall during Day 1 of the 2nd Youth Olympic Games on August 17, 2014 in Nanjing, Peoples Republic of China.

Last-minute 10.7 gives Nowak first gold of Nanjing

Stunning comeback by 18-year-old of Poland, overcomes 3-point lead of Russia's Lomova at last shot

Russia's Margarita Lomova, 18, looked well on her way to the gold, as she was in first place with a 3.0-point lead after nineteen shots at Women's 10m Air Pistol, the first shooting event of the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games. But tables turned at the last shot, as her peer Agata Nowak of Poland hit a game-changing 10.7, taking advantage of Lomova's poor 7.7 and coming out on top in the duel.

Nowak has closed with a score of 196.9. She has been shooting since she was fourteen, four years ago. She's making progress faster than expected, according to the one person who gets to have a say about this. “My coach says that it isn't so long for that score,” she explained after the medal ceremony.

Silver medallist Magarita Lomova (194.4), no matter the missed chance, was glad about her performance. “[It is] very important to me,” she said. Her hard work payed off. “Every day [I'm] training. All the time.”

The race between Nowak and Lomova took shape as Kim Minjung of the Republic of Korea left the match. Kim's eighteenth and last shot was a 9.1, which gave her the bronze medal with 175.4 points. Kim, 17, had been competing neck and neck with Lomova for the first positions throughout the first rounds; in the second series, she had even hit a 10.9 which had temporary given her the lead.

Right before the podium places, came Greece's Anna Korakaki, 18 (156.5). She was followed by Afaf Elhodhod; the 17-year-old of Egypt was hoping for much better, as she was occupying medal positions at the beginning; she was in first after thirteen shots, but then spoiled her previous good results with a 7.7. Singapore's Teh Xiu Yi, 18, was seventh (96.2), whereas Polina Konarieva of Ukraine, 16, took last place (77.1).

Gold medallist Nowak had to stay focused despite the loud crowd of the Fangshan Shooting Hall. “When someone screams and claps his hands you're more scared,” she said. “I was stressed. Noise is more interesting for the public, but not for a shooter. You must learn how to shoot [in this situation.]”

How Nowak managed to keep calm, she doesn't even know. “I have no idea!” she said. “It just happened. I don't have a strategy [to focus,] I just hope that everything goes well for me. If you are too stressed, it's really bad. [When] your heart [is] beating really fast and your hands are shaking, you must cool down and find the concentration.”

But when Nowak clears her mind, it all gets much better. Shooting can be quite exciting to her. “It's not like fast running,” she said, “[but you can feel the adrenaline] when there are only four shooters [in the competition] and you know that you must be in the top three to get the medal.”

The family of Nowak is quite dedicated to this sport. “My mother shoots rifle. My father, pistol,” she said. “[But] when I started shooting I didn't know that. I just wanted to shoot, and I went shooting.” Her parents were not Olympians, but she wishes to be the first member of the family to be one. “I would like to go to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016,” she said. “I hope that dream comes true.” It took her four years to get ready for the Youth Olympics; will two years do for Rio?

Alessandro Ceschi

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RESULTS - 10m Air Pistol Women

1. NOWAK Agata

2. LOMOVA Margarita

3. KIM Minjung

17.08.2014

Posted by Thom Erik Syrdahl

Source - ISSF Website

How to watch shooting at Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympics

Live and on-demand, for free, on TV, online, and with smartphone apps

The 6-event shooting program at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games (starting tomorrow with Women's 10m Air Pistol), as well as the other sports, will be free for all to watch both live and on-demand, on television, on the internet, and on smartphone apps.

To watch Nanjing 2014 on television, find the Olympic broadcast partner operating in your country at http://www.olympic.tv

To watch the competition on the internet, get on the IOC’s online platforms at http://www.olympic.tv,http://www.olympic.org and http://www.youtube.com/olympics

If you are in China, go to http://sports.cntv.cn/special/nanjing2014/index.shtml

To watch it on your smartphone, download the Olympic TV app, available both on Google Play and on the App Store.

 You can get live updates from Nanjing 2014 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

(Photo credit: Nanjing Pool)

Alessandro Ceschi


Posted by Thom Erik Syrdahl
Source - ISSF Website