Japan’s tsunami survivor Matsuda wins Gold medal at ISSF pre

[ISSF]

INTERNATIONAL SHOOTING SPORT FEDERATION
NEWSLETTER 06, 25.04.2012














Japan’s tsunami survivor Matsuda wins Gold medal at ISSF pre-Olympic event in London



One year ago, he survived the tsunami, competed at the ISSF World Cup in Sydney, won and dedicated his medals to Japan. One year later, Matsuda wins again and sends a message of hope, while looking forward to the Games.





Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsuda won today’s 50m Pistol Men final at the ISSF World Cup in all events, a pre-Olympic test event taking place at the Royal Artillery Barracks shooting venue in London, in the frame of the London Prepares Series, from April the 17th to April the 29th.

The 36-year old Japanese policeman had finished in the spotlights last year, when he survived the terrible tsunami that hit Japan, coming to compete at the ISSF World Cup in Sydney just two weeks later. There, he surprised everybody winning two Gold medals and dedicating the victories to his wounded homeland.

"Japan rose up from that disaster. But there are still much to do, and it will take years to rebuild everything. It’s a deep wound." Matsuda said today, after winning the 50m Pistol Gold medal on the Olympic lines of the Royal Artillery Barracks venue.

"I really hope that my successes will inspire people and give them courage. This is my little contribute. I hope I will be able to win again in June, for my country." Matsuda added.

Entering in the final with a qualification score of 572 points, Matsuda managed his seven points lead over his opponents, scoring 92.8 points during the medal match and finishing on the highest step of the podium with 663.2 points.

Ranked second in the world, Matsuda is the reigning world champion in the 50m Pistol Men event, and he was the first to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games, back in August 2010. After winning four World Cup Stages within the last four years, he’s now looking forward to the London Olympics. But there’s a long list of competitors chasing his golden dream. Today’s Silver medal went to one of them, Russia’s Vladimir Isakov, the 2008 Olympic Bronze medallist, who finished on the podium with a total score of 663.2 points. The Bronze medal went to China’s Tian Zhang with 660.6 points.

The ISSF World Cup in London keeps on rolling. After ten out of fifteen competitions, it’s Korea which leads the medal standings chart, with two Gold medals both won in pistol events. The Russian Federation comes in second,with one Gold and one Silver medals, while China secures the third place with a total of three medals, one of each colour.

The pre-Olympic test event will continue right through the 28th of April, with five more events to go in the next three days. Follow the event on www.issf-sports.org and on www.youtube.com/issfchannel




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