Home athlete Marcelo Gutierrez secured Argentina its third Olympic quota place for the Paris 2024 Games as he won the 10m air rifle men title at the CAT XIV Rifle and Pistol Championships in Buenos Aires.
The second Olympic quota place on the fourth day of finals at the Argentine Federal Shooting Range went to Cuba’s Lisbet Hernandez Hernandez, whose compatriot Laina Perez had earned the same distinction in the previous day’s 25m pistol women final.
Hernandez took bronze behind two United States athletes who had already secured Olympic quota places – Sagen Maddalena, who earned her second individual gold of this Championship of the Americas after winning the earlier 10m rifle women event, and Alison Weisz.
Gutierrez, 23, the 2019 Pan American bronze medallist, was one of three home athletes to reach the men’s final.
He won with a total of 249.5 after overtaking early leader Edson Ramirez Ramos of Mexico after the second elimination round.
Ramirez Ramos took silver on 248.8, with Timothy Sherry of the United States finishing third on 227.9.
Maddalena dominated the women’s final from the first round, totalling 253.0 to finish well clear of her compatriot Weisz, who scored 249.9.
But Hernandez Hernandez – 32 years old and world-ranked 87th in this event – had to battle to earn the quota-winning third place after trailing Mexico’s Gometti Zumaya Flores through the first three rounds.
She drew level after the fourth round before moving ahead of her rival with efforts of 10.1 and 10.4 – with Zumaya Flores scoring 10.4 and 9.3 – and eventually winning the contest-within-the-contest by just 0.5.
Zumaya Flores had the consolation of earning team gold along with Elizabeth Nieves Coronado and Andrea Palafox, ahead of the home trio of Salma Antorena, Lola Sanchez and Fernanda Russo.
The men’s team event went to the United States trio of Sherry, Rylan Kissell and 50m rifle 3 positions gold medallist Ivan Roe.
Gutierrez earned silver as part of the Argentinian team with Marcelo Zoccali Albizu and Alexis Eberhardt.
Ramirez Ramos also earned a second medal on the day as he and team-mates Carlos Quezada Marquez and Carlos Quintero Perez secured the third place on the podium.
One more Paris 2024 quota places is on offer at the Championships – in the 25m rapid fire pistol men event with which the competition concludes on Sunday (April 7).
A total of 168 athletes from 21 countries are involved in these Championships.
Live streaming of the competition can be accessed at: https://play.tycsports.com/polideportivo/copa-de-las-americas-tiro-dia-1-id573834.html
