New world records set at IPC Shooting World Cup

“I was very surprised to win a gold medal.”

The 2013 IPC Shooting World Cup kicked off in Szczecin, Poland, in hot and humid conditions with 39 athletes competing in the R3 - 10m - 60 shots air rifle prone SH1 event.

Following IPC Shooting rule changes, which included a new finals format and the trial of a decimal-point scoring system in 10m air rifle and 50m prone rifle events, athletes were able to set new world records at the first World Cup event.

Despite Slovakia’s Veronika Vadovicova leading the qualification round, Russia’s Tatiana Ryabchenko topped the podium with a world-record score of 211.6. Aged just 22 years, she was pleased with her performance, which saw her scoring an impressive four 10.9’s, the maximum score, out of 20 shots in the final.

“I was very surprised to win,” she said. “It will take some time to adjust to the new finals and I have more work to do, but overall I am satisfied with my performance.”

Vadovicova came third with a score of 188.5, whilst Great Britain’s Matt Skelhon had to settle for second place, scoring 209.4 points.

“I wasn’t happy with the score I shot. I thought the overall scores would be higher.

“I have been practicing the finals, but it’s always different when you shoot it for real.

“The new finals are difficult to adjust to because I usually shoot pretty fast and there are a lot more pauses. So I found it difficult to sit waiting.”

In the new format, qualification scores are not carried over into the final, meaning each finalist starts from zero. Athletes with the lowest scores are eliminated over the course of a final, until a duel between the two remaining athletes for gold and silver medals ensues.

Skelhon plans to go to the gym to do some cardio work and get his heart rate down before the next World Cup in Turkey from 11-20 May.

“There’s lots to go away and work on,” he said. “So I can win the right colour medal next time.”

The Russian team of Andrey Kozemyakin, Sergey Nocevnoy and Ryabchenko dominated the team event, with a new world record score of 1881.4. Denmark’s Jens Frimann, Berit Gejl and Kazimier Mechula came second with 1870.5 points, and Poland’s team of Waldemar Andruszkiewicz, Tadeusz Sondej and Jolanta Szulc came third with a score of 1867.2.

The World Cup in Szczecin, Poland, is the first major IPC Shooting international event since the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

The World Cup will allow athletes to assess their form and check out their rivals ahead of the 2013 IPC Shooting European Championships taking place in Alicante, Spain, in October.

For full results, please visit the IPC Shooing World Cup website, follow IPC Shooting on Twitter @IPCShooting and like the Facebook page.