Great Britain on Target at IPC Shooting World Cup

Great Britan will be confident of firing themselves to a number of gold medals at the London 2012 Paralympic Games after a successful weekend at the IPC 2010 Shooting World Cup saw them win a whole host of medals, including six golds.

Staged at Stoke Mandeville in Ayslebury, Great Britain topped the medal table in an event that saw 75 athletes from 14 countries compete.

The host nation got off to best possible start on the first day of competition medalling twice in the SH1 Category of the Falling Target competition. Matt Skelhon won gold and Karen Butler bronze. Lotta Helsinger of Sweden picked up silver.

In the SH2 category of the same competition, Britain went one further and picked up all three medals. In a closely fought final Adam Fontain emerged victorious with James Bevis winning silver and Georgina Callingham bronze.

One of the closest contests of the weekend saw Poland’s Filip Rodzik claim gold in the men’s P1 10m Air Pistol competition by just one point ahead of Thailand’s Bordin Sornsriwickai. Hungary’s Gyula Gurisatti claimed bronze with 563 points.

Hungary did claim gold though through Krisztina David who took first place in the women’s P2 10m Air Pistol competition ahead of the British pair of Pamela Grainger and Jean Guild.

Britain’s Nathan Milgate ruled the competition in the men’s R1 10m Air Rifle Standing competition, beating Austrian Paralympic gold medallist Werner Müller into silver and Paralympic silver medallist Norbert Gau from Germany into bronze.

After attending her first Paralympic Games in 1984, Paralympic multi-medallist Deana Coates turned back the years to win gold in the women’s R2 10m Air Rifle Standing competition. Sweden’s Lotta Helsinger picked up her second silver medal of the weekend and Norway’s Monica Lillehagen claimed bronze.

Matthew Skelhon picked up his second gold medal of the event in the mixed R3 10m Air Rifle Prone competition, but only after edging Monica Lillehagen into silver and Denmark’s Kazimier Mechula into bronze.

In a close finish Great Britain’s Robert McLeary won the mixed R4 10m Air Rifle Standing competition. Paralympic bronze medallist Viktoria Wedin came second and Thailand’s Tanong Chanan third.

Wedin claimed another silver medal in the mixed R5 10m Air Rifle Prone competition. Denmark’s Jonas Anderson took gold and Great Britain’s Adam Fontain the bronze.