SHOOTING: Australian Suzanne Balogh has finished fifth in the final of the women’s trap at the Royal Artillery Barracks with a score of 87 out of a possible 100.
SHOOTING: Australian Suzanne Balogh has finished fifth in the final of the women’s trap at the Royal Artillery Barracks with a score of 87 out of a possible 100.
Italian Jessica Rossi, a 20-year-old police officer in her first Olympic trap final, was sensational, breaking the world record with an impeccable 99 out of 100. If not for a miss on her 17th shot of the final the glamorous Rossi would have been perfect.
Beijing silver medallist, Slovakian Zuzana Stefecekova, finished second after a three-way shootout with Delphine Reau (France), who won bronze, and Alessandra Perilli (San Marino).
Balogh won the trap event in her only other Olympic appearance in 2004 in Athens when she became the first ever female shooting gold medallist for Australia and the first ever Aussie to win a shooting title on her Olympic debut.
The Australian had qualified for the final in third place with 72 successful shots from 75 attempts in the qualification round, three behind Rossi’s world record of 75 from as many chances.
The self coached Balogh, who operates her own corporate target shooting business that focuses on team building, got off to a disappointing start, missing her first two shots and four of her first six.
By the time they’d shot 19, Balogh had missed nine. She rallied late with five from her last six attempts to end her campaign on the same number of hits as Spain’s Fatima Galvez.
Balogh said she was proud of her achievements in London, despite the indifferent finals form.
“I have to be happy. I put everything into it. I will walk away smiling,” Balogh said.
“I shot a perfect score in the final qualifying round to make the final.”
“My timing (in the final) just wasn’t quite right.”
Dave Lyall in London
Olympics.com.au