(BEIJING, April 19) -- Sergei Alifirenko of Russia nailed the title of the men's 25m rapid fire pistol event with a total score of 786.7 at the Good Luck Beijing 2008 ISSF World Cup on Saturday, April 19, at the Beijing Shooting Range Hall. He was followed by teammate Alexei Klimov with 780.9 points. Zhang Penghui of China scored 778.3 points, winning a bronze medal for the host team.
At 49, Alifirenko won the title of this event in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. His steady performance in the four rounds of shooting in the final of this competition widened the gap between him and his competitors, allowing him to take the title with a comfortable 5.8 point margin. Silver medalist Alexei Klimov of Russia made an unexpected move from his previous number six spot to become first runner-up.
German shooter Ralf Schumann failed to edge in the top three, even though he holds the current world record of 788.8 points in the 25m rapid fire pistol and won the Olympic title three times in previous Games. Saturday was not a good day for the veteran, as he finished fourth in the final.
Current world No. one shooter under ISSF 2007 rankings, Zhang Penghui of China, placed 13th in the first stage of qualification on Friday, but edged his way into the final. The winner of previous World Cup and World Championships, Zhang earned a bronze medal for the host team.
