Zhang wins men's 10m Air Pistol world title and Paris 2024 quota for China as Bulgaria, Switzerland, and Germany also earn berths
Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Mikec finished second at the ISSF World Championships in Baku, while Kiril Kirov won the bronze
Shooting
China's Zhang Bowen won the men's 10m Air Pistol title at the 2023 ISSF World Championships in Baku, also securing People's Republic of China an Olympic shooting quota for Paris 2024 in the process.
Zhang was third in the first stages of the final on Thursday (17 August), live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com, but built up momentum towards the end of the competition. Scoring a total of 244.3 points, he outshot Serbia's Damir Mikec by 3.5 points to claim the gold.
"I felt very nervous at the very beginning and actually I didn't know so much about the scores," Zhang said in a post-competition interview. "Because I was so nervous during the competition, now I don't feel so much different from the training, but now (I see) the numbers and now I feel very happy about the finals."
Zhang's result also secured a second Paris 2024 quota in the event for China. Defending champion Liu Jinyao obtained China's first quota at the 2022 ISSF World Shooting Championships.
"Now I just feel happy, happy and happy," Zhang said of his accomplishment. "And also very grateful to the whole team, friends, coaches and teammates who support me to get the quota place."
If selected in the Chinese team for Paris 2024, it would mark the second Olympic appearance for Zhang. The pistol shooter previously competed at Tokyo 2020 in 2021 where he made the final and finished sixth overall.
Second-placed Mikec, who had already secured Serbia a quota through the 2023 European Championships, finished second to add another medal to his collection after silver at Tokyo 2020, while Bulgaria's Kiril Kirov wrapped up the podium with bronze.
Kirov also secured his nation a quota for the 2024 Olympic Games.
A total of four quota places were up for grabs in the men's 10m Air Pistol event, with sixth-place finisher Jason Solari earning a spot for Switzerland and Robin Walter, who finished eighth in the final, earning one for Germany.
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games depends on their National Olympic Committee (NOC) selecting them to represent their delegation.