© Shootingnews.com.au. All rights reserved.

13 July 2011

Peter Wilson is becoming a stronger presence in international shooting after winning the men's double trap at the ISSF World Cup in Slovenia last night, leading into the final round before maintaining his advantage by shooting 49 out of 50 clays.

It was the Englishman's first gold medal in senior international competition and his second podium this year after winning silver in Chile's opening round.

"He has great potential!" his coach, Ahmed Al Maktoum, said of the 24-year-old. "I started coaching him one year ago, after I saw him shooting. He's my best student, and he's learning fast."

Al Maktoum, who won gold in the 2004 Olympics, was also shooting in the event, scoring 143 for eighth place and narrowly missing the finals.

Wilson said he liked the Maribor range, calling it a "great place".

"Last time I had been here, in 2006, I won the European Junior Championship," he said.

Australians Mark Russell and Nick Kirley finished further down the order, Russell shooting 135 in qualifying for 35th place and Kirley 133 for 41st.

China's Hu Binyuan shot the same 146 points as Wilson to top qualifying, but dropped two targets in the final and took silver a point behind his English rival.

The bronze medal went to Ronjan Sodhi of India, who shot 49 in the final to bring his score equal to Hu's. However, Hu got the upper hand in a short shoot-off, winning it 2 to 1.

Olympic Quotas were awarded to Daniele Di Spigno (Italy) and Richard Bogner (Hungary), who were fifth and sixth respectively.

Full results are available here.

Email comments to contact@shootingnews.com.au. Please note comments are vetted before being posted and may not be posted immediately. Please keep them brief, relevant and to the point.