Chiara Cainero of Italy won the Skeet Women Gold medal, beating her teammate Spada, and then announced the she's having a baby in five months. Not even her teammates knew about it. Now, she will take a break and come back at the 2014 World Championship.
Italy celebrates its best day so far at the 2013 ISSF World Cup in All Events in Granada, Spain. After the Silver medal won by Andrea Amore in the 10m Air Pistol Men event earlier this afternoon , two Italian shooters finished atop of the Skeet Women podium.
2008 Olympic Champion Chiara Cainero of Italy won indeed the Skeet Women Gold medal match, beating her teammate Katiuscia Spada 14 to 13 hits. Both of them had qualified for the semi-final with 73 hits. Spada then moved on to the gold medal match with an almost perfect semi-final score of 15 hits, while Cainero hit 13 targets in the semi-final and shot-off Thailand's Sutiya Jiewchaloemmit to meet her teammate in the medal match.
The third Italian team-member, Simona Scocchetti, set a new world record of 74 hits out of 75 targets during the qualifications and then closed the match in fourth place after losing the Bronze medal match against Jiewchaloemmit 11 to 14 hits.
China's Chen Xiaoyao and Elena Alle of Great Britain placed in fifth and sixth place, with 11 and 10 hits in the semi-final, respectively.
Interviewed right after the final, Cainero surprised everybody: “I am having a baby next January. I didn't tell anybody so far, not even my teammate knew about it. I will tell them after this interview.”
“I will compete in the next European Championships, and then take a brake. I would like to come back in one year, in time for the 2014 Wolrd Championships.”
The announcement of the 2008 Olympic Champ shocked the team, also considering that she had been shooting all day with temperatures exceeding 40 Celsius here in Granada.
“It has been really difficult to compete here, today, in this situation. It has been extremely hot, and days have been long: we started shooting early in the morning and finished late in the evening. But I wanted this medal so badly.” She said. Cainero had already won Gold at the previous ISSF World Cup Stage in Al Ain, last April.
“It has been hard, but Granada's is a special medal, I feel I deserved it.”
What's coming in next? A break of one year, and then... the roadmap to Rio is waiting for Cainero: “I am of course thinking about Rio 2016. I will try my best to secure a quota, and to be there. I feel like I still have a lot to give, my career will continue, to Rio and maybe further. I will try my best to come back just in time for the 2014 World Championship.”
“These girls are just great.” The coach of the Italian team, the 2004 Olympic Champion Andrea Benelli said. “Three out of six finalists where Italian, today. Simona set a new world record. Chiara and Katiuscia equalled the previous one.”
“They all proved to be strong minded. This is why I believe that Cainero can make it. It will be hard, but if she says she will be back for the world championship, she will.”