Italy’s Grazini beat USA’s Burrows in the Gold medal match. Olympic Silver Fabbrizi secured Bronze, beating two-time Olympic Champ Diamond of Australia in a shoot-off
Italy’s Valerio Grazini, 20, won today’s Trap Men Gold medal match, at the 2013 ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Acapulco, Mexico.
The 2009 Junior World Champion from Viterbo, Italy, passed through the qualifications with 120 hits out of 125 possible targets, making it to the top-6. Then, he accessed the Semi-final, the new competition stage introduced from the 2013 season. There, the score goes back to zero, and the semi-final is conducted over 15 random target. Grazini hit 14 targets, advancing to the Gold medal match.
In the Gold medal match, the Italian shooter met USA Brian Burrows, 24, who had qualified with 122 hits, and then cleared the semi-final with a perfect score of 15 hits out of 15 targets. But the medal matches are a stand-alone competition: the semi-final’s scores are not carried forward.
20-year old Grazini stayed focused, hitting 14 targets in the Gold medal match, to Burrows’ 12, winning his first World Cup medal ever.
With 11 hits, the Bronze medal went to another Italian shooter, the 2012 Olympic Silver medallist Massimo Fabbrizi, who beat in the Bronze medal match Australia’s two-time Olympic champion Michael Diamond 9 hits to 8 after a long shoot-off.
“It has been difficult, with this heat. We are coming from a cold winter, and competing under the Mexican sun turned this match into a very though competition.” Fabbrizi commented about the match.
Today’s third Italian shooter, Daniele Resca, 26, placed in fifth, after hitting 12 out of 15 targets in the Semi-final. The sixth place was claimed by India’s Anirudh Singh, who closed the semi-final with 11 hits.
Grazini’s and Fabbrizi’s awards take the medal count of the Italian team up to four, out of six medals assigned here in Acapulco so far. Yesterday, the 2012 Olympic champion Rossi and her 20-year old teammate Stanco had finished indeed on the Trap Women podium.
The ISSF President, Mr. Olegario Vazquez Raña participated in the awarding ceremony together with the ISSF Secretary General Franz Schreiber. The ISSF President also recognized a special ISSF medal of honour to Mr. Miguel Rincon Arredondo – a Mexican entrepreneur - in appreciation for his support to the Shooting Sport.
The ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Acapulco continues tomorrow, with the Double Trap Men event. Following the pre-event training and the qualifications, the semi-final and the medal matches will be staged on Wednesday the 20th , starting at 15.15 (Acapulco time). Follow the event on www.issf-sports.org