2023 ISSF World Championships in Baku: Doreen Vennekamp takes women's 25m pistol gold, Alexander Schmirl wins 50m rifle 3 positions crown
German shooter Vennekamp equalled the world record to claim her first world title, as Schmirl claimed an emotional triumph and earned Austria one of eight Paris 2024 quotas available on the day.
Shooting
Germany's Doreen Vennekamp claimed her first world title by winning the women's 25m pistol event at the ISSF Shooting World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan on Sunday (20 August).
Last year's European champion made 40 out of 50 shots in the final, equalling Veronika Major's world record from 2019, to clinch gold ahead of Ukraine's Olena Kostevych with Agate Rasmane of Latvia taking the bronze.
With Vennekamp, Kostevych and Haniyeh Rostamiyan of the Islamic Republic of Iran having previously obtained Paris 2024 quota spots for their National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the four available in Baku went to Rasmane, Thailand's fifth-place finisher Tanyaporn Prucksakorn, Yang Jiin of the Republic of Korea, and Chinese Taipei's Tien Chia-chen.
In the men's 50m rifle 3 positions final, gold went to Austria's Alexander Schmirl ahead of Czechia's 2022 European champion Petr Nymbursky and Akhii Sheoran of India.
With Nymbursky and fourth-placed Serhiy Kulish of Ukraine - the defending world champion - having already secured quota spots for their federations, the remaining two went to Switzerland's Christophe Duerr and Aleksi Leppa of Finland.
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the next Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
Vennekamp dominates to take pistol gold
Eight women lined up for the final with one knowing she would miss out on the opportunity to obtain a Paris 2024 quota for her national federation.
A perfect second series helped propel Kostevych into the lead with Vennekamp, bronze medallist in 2018 and 2022, just behind her in second place.
The first elimination came after 20 shots (four series), and it was Indian teenager Rhythm Sangwan who was eliminated having hit just eight targets.
Athens 2004 10m air pistol champion Kostevych and Vennekamp were tied for the lead on 16, six clear of Agate Rasmane and Yang Jiin with the remaining three shooters on nine.
After the next series, Tien and Rostamiyan needed a shoot-off to decide who would go out, with both on 11 out of 25 shots.
Tien missed her first two shots with Rostamiyan making hers. Both missed their third shots, but Tien got off the mark by making her fourth as Rostamiyan missed again. It was not enough, however, as more misses on her final shots meant the athlete from Chinese Taipei had to settle for seventh place.
At the front, Vennekamp moved ahead with a perfect sixth series. A clean five from Rostamiyan saw her survive again with Korean Yang the next to depart.
With Vennekamp running away with gold and Kostevych seemingly secure in second, the battle was on for bronze.
Thailand's Prucksakorn finished fifth, improving on her eighth-place finish from last year, and was all smiles having secured an Olympic quota for her NOC.
Rasmane led Rostamiyan by one point going into the series, which would decide the bronze medal. The Latvian hit four to Rostamiyan's three to guarantee her first world medal and close the gap on Kostevych to just one.
But she could not sustain that form, hitting just one of five in the next series to walk away with bronze.
Vennekamp's victory was already assured as she took a lead of eight going into the final series, and she finished with 40 from 50 shots - equalling the world record - with Kostevych second on 31.
Schmirl runs away with 3 positions title to win Austria's first gold in Baku
The men's 50m rifle 3 positions final consisted of three series of five shots first in the kneeling position, then prone, followed by standing.
Duerr and Schmirl set the pace early with reigning champion Kulish and Nymbursky leading the pursuers.
But with a poor final series in the kneeling position, Duerr allowed Schmirl to go into a two-point lead after 15 shots with 156.1. Kulish lay in third place, a further 1.5 adrift.
After the first prone series, Schmirl extended his lead with Anton Rizov of Bulgaria and Yu Hao of the People's Republic of China losing ground at the rear.
Sheoran was the big mover in the prone position, rising from sixth to second with Schmirl 4.4 clear at the front after 30 shots. Nymbursky was up to third ahead of early pacesetter Duerr.
After the first standing series, Schmirl further extended his lead with Nymbursky moving ahead of Sheoran into second.
Schmirl showed his first signs of nerves in the second series with his advantage over Nymbursky reduced to 4.1 as Yu and Rizov bowed out.
The last five standing shots were singles with athletes eliminated after each one. Leppa took sixth place but earned an Olympic quota for Finland.
Duerr was next to depart with Schmirl still way out in front.
Rio 2016 silver medallist Kulish could not stay in the fight and saw his hopes of defending the title end with a fourth place finish, while Sheoran went into the penultimate shot with a 0.5-lead over Nymbursky.
The Indian faltered with a 9.5 and Nymbursky's 10.1 saw him snatch silver by just a tenth of a point.
Schmirl led by a massive 3.3 going into the final shot, and a 9.2 guaranteed him the gold.
2023 ISSF World Championships men's 50m rifle 3 positions podium (L-R): runner-up Petr Nymbursky, winner Alexander Schmirl, third-placed Akhii Sheoran
Results from women's 25m pistol at the 2023 ISSF World Championship in Baku, Azerbaijan:
- Doreen Vennekamp (GER) - 40 EWR
- Olena Kostevych (UKR) - 31
- Agate Rasmane (LAT) - 25 (after 45 shots) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Latvia
- Haniyeh Rostamiyan (IRI) - 22 (40)
- Tanyaporn Prucksakorn (THA) - 18 (35) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Thailand
- Yang Jiin (KOR) - 14 (30) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Republic of Korea
- Tien Chia Chen (TPE) - 11 (25) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Chinese Taipei
- Rhythm Sangwan - (IND) 8 (20)
Results from men's 50m rifle 3 positions at the 2023 ISSF World Championship in Baku, Azerbaijan:
- Alexander Schmirl (AUT) - 462.6 - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Austria
- Petr Nymbursky (CZE) - 459.2
- Akhii Sheoran (IND) - 450.0 (after 44 shots) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for India
- Serhiy Kulish (UKR) - 438.1 (43)
- Christoph Duerr (SUI) - 424.6 (42) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Switzerland
- Aleksi Leppa (FIN) - 414.6 (41) - Also earns Paris 2024 berth for Finland
- Anton Rizov (BUL) - 403.6 (40)
- Yu Hao (CHN) - 403.1 (40)