Changwon 2022: Iran shooters wrap up in style

Nasrin Shahi Samakhoun pulled off one of her career’s biggest wins upsetting three-time Paralympic champion Sareh Javanmardi for the gold medal as the Changwon 2022 World Shooting Para Sport World Cup concluded on Wednesday (24 August).

Samakhoun followed Seyedmohammadreza Mirshafiei’s impressive show in the P1-men's 10m air pistol SH1 where he registered a pillar-to-post victory. Both later combined to take the P6 - MTP mixed team 10m air pistol SH1 gold defeating South Korea on the final day.

Mirshafiei totalled 236.0, riding on his consistent shooting – he had just one bad shot, 8.7 in his last series – to finish ahead of Korea’s Jeongdu Ju and Ganzorig Ganjargal of Mongolia at the Changwon International Shooting range.

In the P2 - women's 10m air pistol SH1, Samakhoun, qualifying in the third place, was off to a slow start before shooting a series of 10s, that saw her overtaking her compatriot and Iran's star athlete Javanmardi (234.3) with a total score of 238.4. 

The two gold medals on the penultimate day (23 August) and the final day team gold propelled Iran to top three of the medals table. On the top, the hosts South Korea finished with 10 gold in their total 27 medals, followed by France with six gold medals.

France takes 1-2 position

France shooters continued their amazing run of form with London 2012 Paralympic gold medallist Cedric Fevre and Jean-Louis Michaud claiming the one-two finish in the R6 - mixed 50m rifle prone SH1. 

Fevre led from start to finish for a total of 249.5, that included an impressive final series of 10.1 and 10.7, equally matched by compatriot Michaud (247.1). Korea’s Haksun Kim (225.5) took the bronze. 

"My goal was winning medals. I was a little bit disappointed in the 10m, because I had a good performance, but not in the final.  

"I’m aiming to win more medals in the 10m and 50m at the 2022 World Championships in Al Ain," said Fevre.

"I want to win a medal at Paris 2024 in front of my family," he added of the next Paralympics.

Home glory

Meanwhile, the hosts added another gold to their medals tally through Huntae Seo, who claimed his second medal at the event, in R9 - mixed 50m rifle prone SH2.

In a thrilling R9 final, Seo (247.8) overcame France's Tanguy De La Forest, who earlier had clinched gold with world record equalling effort, by just 0.2 points. Geunsoo Kim (225.0) claimed the bronze.

In the shotgun events, Korea’s Hojung Choi shone in the PT2 - mixed trap standing (lower limb) SG-L while Abdolreza Tavasolikhah finished on top at shotgun PT1 - mixed trap seated SG-S.

The Changwon 2022 was the first World Shooting Para Sport competition held in South Korea since the 2018 World Championships. 

The event was also the first World Cup in the four-year hosting agreement that will see the Korean city as part of the World Shooting Para Sport season through to 2025. 

Complete results from the event are available here.