China’s Liu Yukun set his second 50m rifle 3 positions world record in the space of two days at the extended Baku World Cup, improving the mark from 467.3 points to 468.9 in the final scheduled competition on the Olympic Shooting Range.
The 27-year-old showman, who has the world “LUCKY” emblazoned on one of the legs of his shooting outfit, said airily after the first of the two scheduled finals in this event that the result he had achieved was “very common” to him in training. It seems he was not joking.
Earlier, in the penultimate final, Britain’s Seonaid McIntosh, who had twice missed the podium by one place earlier in the week, secured 50m rifle 3 positions gold.
Liu offered early evidence of his intent as he headed the field after the opening kneeling section on 156.6 – already ahead of his comparative score of 155.4 from Thursday. He maintained that position after the prone section, totalling 315.1 in comparison to his earlier score of 312.0 at this point.
The differential remained throughout the five standing elimination rounds as he added another huge increment of 1.6 points to a record that had stood before this World Cup at 466.1, set at last year’s Baku World Cup by the Czech Republic’s Jiri Privratsky.
This time round Privratsky, who just missed bronze in the opening final, had a tangible reward for his efforts as he finished third, with Austria’s 34-year-old Alexander Schmirl – who won the world title last year on this same Olympic Shooting Range and who had topped qualifying on 593 - taking silver on 463.2.
Liu’s 21-year-old compatriot Du Linshu, who took silver first time around in equalling the existing world record – which he now holds as the world junior record – finished fourth on this occasion, one place ahead of Croatia’s Miran Maricic.
I did not have too much idea about the record today,” Liu told ISSF TV. “I just shot my training standard in the competition.”
The concluding efforts of two Chinese athletes who have been confirmed as the 50m rifle 3 positions choices for the Paris 2024 Games – and the gold earned earlier in the day by 25m rapid fire pistol world champion and record holder Li Yuehong - raised their country’s final medal total to 19, comprising seven golds, seven silvers and five bronzes.
It was a huge statement of intent by China as the Olympics loom on the horizon. Second place went to the Republic of Korea with a total of seven medals including three golds, with Germany placing third after earning five medals, including one gold.
Finland’s Aleksi Leppa was sixth in the concluding final ahead of Peter Sidi of Romania and Iran’s Amir Nekounam.
It turned out third time lucky for McIntosh, who had finished fourth in the 10m air rifle women and opening 50m rifle 3 positions women finals, as she held off the challenge of China’s Siyu Xia.
The 28-year-old Scot, world No.1 in this event, was locked throughout in a close struggle for gold with her 21-year-old rival.
With three elimination rounds remaining she trailed by 0.1, but a 10.5 to Xia’s 10.1 saw her return to gold medal position by 0.3, a lead she extended in the penultimate round as she shot 10.7 to Xia’s 10.0 to lead by exactly one point.
There were no slip-ups on the final shot as McIntosh registered 10.1 and Xia, with the last shot of the competition, scored 9.4 to give the British athlete victory by 466.3 to 464.6.
A faint smile became a wide grin as she turned back to the British supporters in the stands and the happy figure of her father and coach, Donald.
McIntosh, who took gold at the Cairo World Cup in January, produced the ideal performance on a day when bronze went to the German athlete who won the first of the Baku 50m rifle 3 positions golds, Anna Janssen.
Fourth place went to the Republic of Korea’s Eunseo Lee, who finished one place ahead of Jolyn Beer of Germany.
Norway’s Jenny Stene, who had beaten McIntosh by two points to the top qualifying position – her score of 594 being only two off her world record set at the 2022 European Championships – eventually finished sixth.
Seventh place went to Denmark’s Stephanie Grundsoee, with Slovenia’s Urska Kuharic finishing eighth.
The schedule in Baku was expanded to fit in second finals in the 25m pistol women, 25m rapid fire pistol men and the men’s and women’s 50m rifle 3 positions to ensure athletes in these events had the same number of opportunities as those in other events to earn Olympic Qualification ranking points.
This followed the Granada World Cup, which featured only 10m events.