Perilli and Varga win trap gold in Qatar
DOHA, February 18, 2018-Erik Varga of Slovakia and Alessandra Perilli of San Marino won the men's and women's trap gold medals at the Qatar Open Shotgun yesterday.
At the Losail shooting range, Perilli, the 2015 World Cup Finals champion, shrugged off a poor start and went on to beat Lebanon's Ray Bassil 44-42 to grab the gold medal.
The winner failed to hit four out of her first five targets in the elimination round. But she reproduced nearly the same consistency as in the qualifying rounds (121 out of 125) and emerged champion in her first appearance in Doha. She was rewarded with a cheque for $7,000.
“I had a very bad start but I fought back as the event progressed. I am so happy to have won at this beautiful range and beautiful weather here.
“The final was tough and I had to focus hard as I came closer to the title. I am delighted to have got off to a winning start in the season and hopefully, I will have good results in the World Cup in Mexico," the 29-year-old double World Cup champion said.
Bassil, the 2016 Nicosia World Cup champion, was awarded $6,000. The third place went to Finland's experienced Satu Makela-Nummela, who managed just 35.
Thrice world champion Varga got the better of Jiri Liptak in a pulsating shootoff to win the men's trap gold and $7,000 prize money.
On a sunny and windy afternoon, Slovakian Varga, who also bagged two World Cups and one World Cup Finals but has not done as well in the Olympics, was tied at 45-45 with three-time world championship bronze medallist Czech rival Liptak after the final 50 shots were fired.
Even the shootoff had the pulses of a big crowd racing and eventually it was Varga who edged Liptak 4-3 to emerge the winner. Liptak had topped the qualifying round with 124, while Varga was involved in a three-way shoot-off before getting into the gold medal match with Liptak, who earned $6,000.
The 2010 World Cup winner Mauro de Filippis of Italy claimed the bronze medal and $5,000 with 35 shots in the finals, beating Finland's Mirka Kyyronen. Slovakia's Michal Slamka was fifth, while Kuwait's Abdulrahman Alfaihan was sixth, becoming the first shooter to bow out of the eliminations with 19 in 25.
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