China secure Rio 2016 places at shooting World Cup

South Korea dominated the podium on the opening day of the IPC Shooting World Cup in Sydney, Australia, on Tuesday (15 September), as China increased their number of tickets to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Among the standout performers was South Korea’s Jinho Park who qualified for the R1 (men’s 10m air rifle standing SH1) final in first place by almost 12 points.

Having already secured a place for Rio 2016 at the 2014 World Championships, Park (206.6) took his confidence and cool demeanour into the closing stages and never once looked threatened. A late surge from the UAE’s world record holder Abdulla Sultan Alaryani (204.1) saw him claim silver. China’s Dingchao Gou (181.7) was third.

Along with Gou, experienced German Josef Neumaier was also rewarded with a quota place for R1, which could potentially see him compete in his sixth consecutive Paralympic Games next year.

Strong results from South Korea’s (1833.3) other riflemen saw them claim top honours in the R1 team event with the UAE (1830.6) securing their second silver medal.

A thrilling 0.1 point victory to China’s Xiao Hong Bai (205.4) in R2 (women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1) added to the fantastic start to the IPC Shooting World Cup.

Bai had been trailing South Korea’s Myungsoon Kang (205.3) throughout the entire match, but her determination paid off when she scored a 10.7 on the very last shot to surpass Kang for the gold. Bai also earns a quota spot for Rio 2016 with the win.

South Korea’s Yunri Lee (183.4) took the bronze.

British pistol shooter Roy Carter (354-3x) claimed gold in P5 (10m air pistol standard SH1), a non-Paralympic event.

Carter’s high scores in the first and fourth series ensured him top spot on the podium ahead of Russian World Championships bronze medallist Andrey Lebedinskiy (347-2x) and South Africa’s lone shooter in Sydney, von Zeuner Kohne (343-2x).

Competition continues on Wednesday (16 September) with more medals and Rio 2016 quota places up for grabs in P3 (mixed 25m pistol SH1) and R4 (mixed 10m air rifle standing SH2) events.

The World Cup in Sydney is the second and penultimate Paralympic qualifier of 2015 and runs until Saturday (19 September). The next qualifier will take place in Fort Benning, USA, between 3-7 November.

Live results are available at the IPC Shooting website.

Live updates, behind the scenes content and pictures will also be posted to IPC Shooting’s Twitter and Facebook pages under the #SydneyWorldCup15.

The final Paralympic qualifier of 2015 will take place in Fort Benning, USA, from 3-7 November.