Last chance for shooters at World Cup

Sweden’s world champion Joackim Norberg headlines the P3 (mixed 25m pistol SH1) as three US shooters hope to increase their Paralympic team.

Nearly 180 athletes from 48 countries will compete at the IPC Shooting World Cup at the United States Army Marksmanship Unit in Fort Benning, USA, from Tuesday (3 November), some of whom will take their last shot at gaining quota places for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

The rest have already sealed their country’s trip to Brazil, and are in Fort Benning for the last major competition of 2015.

Slovakia’s Veronika Vadovicova, the favourite in R2 (women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1) as the world and European champion, will lead the field in a number of other events.

The R8 (women’s 50m rifle three positions SH1) will see Vadovicova go head-to-head with British Europeans medallists Karen Butler and Lorraine Lambert. Butler has a lot riding on her performance at Fort Benning, as she seeks to gain a Rio 2016 quota place for her country.

In R6 (mixed 50m rifle prone SH1) Great Britain’s world and European champion Matt Skelhon will compete against Israel’s Doron Shaziri, a podium finisher from the 2013 Euros and 2014 Worlds.

Skelhon will also face the UAE’s Abdulla Sultan Alaryani in R3 (mixed 10 air rifle prone SH1) for the third time in 2015. Alayrani is hoping to overcome his podium drought since winning bronze at the World Championships in Suhl, Germany.

The Emirati has had better luck this season in R1 (men’s 10 air rifle standing SH1), having twice finished in the top three. However Serbia’s European champion Laslo Suranji will be hoping to repeat his win over Alaryani from the World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, in July.

Suranji and Alayrani will conclude their rivalry for 2015 in R7 (mixed 50m rifle three positions SH1).

Suranji’s teammate, European title holder Dragan Ristic, is the one to watch in R5 (mixed 10m air rifle prone SH2).

Two top 10 ranked Slovenians enter the R4 (mixed 10m air rifle standing SH2), including European bronze medallist Francek Gorazd Tirsek and Damjan Pavlin. Youngster McKenna Dahl will represent hosts USA having already secured a Paralympic quota place.

Searching for his ticket to Rio in P1 (men’s 10m air pistol SH1) is Poland’s Europeans silver medallist Slawomir Okoniewski.

He will be put under pressure by Serbia’s Rastko Jokic and Turkey’s Cevat Karagol, both European and World Championships podium finishers, who will be relaxed having already secured quota places for their nation. Oknoniewski will get another chance in P4 (mixed 50m pistol SH1).

A closely matched trio will enter P2 (women’s 10m air pistol SH1). Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s Olivera Nakovska-Bikova, Hungary’s Kristina David and Azerbaijan’s Yelena Taranova have all medalled at major international Championships since the London 2012 Paralympic Games. However only European champion Taranova has yet to punch a ticket.

Sweden’s world champion Joackim Norberg headlines the P3 (mixed 25m pistol SH1) as three US shooters hope to increase their Paralympic team. Tricia Downing, Kerry Morris and Shaun Tichenor are all in contention.

The 2015 IPC Shooting World Cup runs until 7 November and is the last opportunity for shooters to secure quota places for their countries at Rio 2016.

Live results are available.

A list of athletes who have already obtained quota places for their nation for Rio 2016 can be found at IPC Shooting's website.