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12 ISSF NEWS
WCF WUXI
★ GOLD BERG, Vebjoern (NOR)
BERG TRIUMPHS
BY 0.4 POINTS
Uncommon shooting skills and a bit of luck
took the Norwegian shooter Vebjoern Berg to
the highest podium of the year. The 29-year
old athlete won the 50m Rifle Prone Men final
at the ISSF World Cup Final in Rifle and Pistol
events in Wuxi by 0.4 points, a margin of a
few tenths of a millimeter over his opponents.
He started the final round in the lead, tied to
the USA’s Michael McPhail and to Australia’s
Warren Potent. The three shooters competed
almost tied along the whole final, but the last
shot determined the victory of Berg, who fired
an outstanding 10.8 finishing in the lead with a
total score of 701.3 points (596+105.3), 0.4 more
than what Silver medalist McPhail scored.
“This is the best way to conclude a good season.
I’ve reached good results both at national
and international stages, and I was seeking a
medal at the World Cup Final,” said Berg smiling
after his last shot. During the 2009 season,
he only took part in the ISSF World Cup held
in Milan, where he won a Silver medal, thus
qualifying for this year’s Final in Wuxi. “It
has not been easy... – he continued, speaking
about the final – I was hoping to finish on the
highest step of the podium, but I would not
say that I was expecting it.”
“Next year‘s most important competition
is the World Championship in Munich.
– Berg said about the forthcoming season
– The first Olympic Quota Places for London
are going to be awarded there, and all the
best shooters of the world will try to get
them. I took a break but now I am starting
my preparation for next season.” The Silver
medal went to the USA’s Michael McPhail.
The 27-year old American shooter finished in
second with 700.9 points (596+104.9), winning
his first World Cup Final medal ever. The
American shooter was one of the stars of the
2009 ISSF World Cup Series, after winning
two Bronze medals at the World Cups held in
Beijing and in Munich. “This has been an unnerving
final, we were all tied, it was a neck
and neck battle. You all saw how it ended…”
he commented after the match, looking at the
scoreboard: he finished four tenths behind
Berg, and two tenths ahead of Potent.
The title defender, Australia’s Potent, did
not confirm his title, but finished among the
best once again. Currently ranking first in the
Rifle Prone World Ranking, the Beijing Olympic
Bronze medalist collected medals throughout
the whole season this year. He won Gold at the
World Cups of Changwon, Beijing and Milan,
missing the highest step of the podium only
in Munich. Dueling against Berg and McPhail
for a spot on today’s podium, Potent ended in
third place with a total score of 700.1 points
(596+104.1), just two tenths less than McPhail
and six tenths away from the Gold. The intense
match did not even finish at the last shot: the
Australian shooter had to participate in a shootoff
to obtain the Bronze medal, outdoing Italy’s
Marco De Nicolo 10.3 to 9.4 points.
★ SILVER MCPHAIL, Michael (USA)
★ Awards 50m Rifle Prone Men
★ BRONZE POTENT, Warren (AUS)
50M RIFLE PRONE MEN