Italy’s Campriani strikes gold in rifle

Italian Niccolo Campriani struck gold in the men’s 50-metre rifle three positions yesterday as US marksman Matt Emmons’s last-shot curse struck yet again.

Engineering student Camp-riani won silver in the 10m air rifle last week and went one better on the final day of competition at the Woolwich Barracks in London.

The destination of the gold was never in doubt after Campriani started the final with an eight-point lead having smashed the Olympic record in qualifying with a score of 1,180 – and he finished six points clear with a combined Olympic best.

But there was drama behind him with Emmons, who famously blew winning positions to miss out on the medals in the same event at the last two Olympics, lying second with a 1.6-point lead with one round to go.

And once again the American fluffed his lines with comfortably the worst shot of the final, a 7.6, allowing South Korea’s Kim Jonghyun to snatch silver with a 10.4.

Emmons did at least manage a bronze, with Cyril Graff, the France marksman, just 0.3 points behind.