Kovalchuk, Malyshev leave Szczecin World Cup with golds

Ukraine’s Vasyl Kovalchuk and Russia’s Sergey Malyshev had a successful final day of the 2016 IPC Shooting World Cup on Wednesday (4 May) in Szczecin, Poland, each leaving with a gold medal.

Kovalchuk, who holds the European title in R4 (mixed 10m air rifle standing SH2), maintained the lead throughout the elimination rounds of the R5 (mixed 10m air rifle prone SH2), and claimed victory with a final score of 212.6.

New Zealand’s Michael Johnson and Great Britain’s Ryan Cockbill went into a shootout to decide who would advance to the final elimination round. After a 189.7 tie, it was Johnson who lived to see another round with shots of 10.4 and 10.5. But the three-time Paralympian had to settle for his second silver with a final score of 211.3.

In the P5 (mixed 10m air pistol standard SH1), Malyshev (353) remained consistent throughout his rounds to claim his second victory of the week. Host nation’s Slawomir Okoniewski (348) left with the silver, and Russia’s Natalia Dalekova (342) defeated compatriot Anastasilia Panteleeva in a shootout for the bronze medal.

While quota places for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games have already been decided, shooters will continue to make their case for selection. For complete results visit here.

Pictures can be found at the IPC Shooting Facebook page.