Cyprus secured two bronze medallions at the European Under-18 Trap and Skeet Championship recently concluded in Croatia. Elite youth shooters Chara Meli, competing in the trap discipline, and Sotiroula Christou, competing in the skeet discipline, delivered podium performances to claim the third-place honors for the national delegation.
Structural success in the trap disciplines
According to official data released by the Cyprus Shooting Sport Federation (SKOK), Chara Meli secured the first bronze medallion in the female under-18 trap category. Meli hit 65 out of 75 targets across three individual rounds scoring 20, 21, and 24 broken clays to cement her third-place finish. The gold medal was claimed by Irene Del Rey of Spain with a score of 70 out of 75, while Dara Chupina representing Russia secured the silver medal with 68 out of 75 hits.
In the male under-18 trap division, Cypriot athlete Andreas Germanos finished in sixth place overall, matching the score of 65 out of 75 targets with round sequences of 23, 22, and 20. Poland's Antoni Sottis took the gold medal with a score of 70 out of 75.
The remaining podium positions for the male trap division required a sudden-death shoot-off after two Czech competitors tied at 69 out of 75 targets. Jakup Cmelik ultimately secured the silver medal, defeating his compatriot Kamil Bednar with a narrow 1-0 margin in the tie-breaker.
Podiums and close finishes in skeet
The second bronze medallion for Cyprus was captured in the female under-18 skeet event by Sotiroula Christou. Christou maintained consistent form throughout the event, registering a total score of 64 out of 75 hits with individual round scores of 22, 21, and 21. Great Britain dominated the top steps of the podium, with Jessica Hambrook winning the gold medal with 70 out of 75 hits and her compatriot Katie Essex taking the silver with 68 out of 75.
The male under-18 skeet event featured two Cypriot athletes finishing inside the top rankings. Charalambos Papacharalambous secured fifth place overall with a cumulative score of 68 out of 75 targets (23, 22, and 23), while Andreas Michael finished seventh with a total of 66 out of 75 hits (22, 23, and 21).
The gold medal in the male skeet division went to Ilia Iliev of Bulgaria, who delivered a performance of 71 out of 75 hits. The silver and bronze placements were decided via a high-stakes shoot-off involving three shooters who finished tied at 69 out of 75 targets. Lukas Havlik of the Czech Republic won the silver medal by hitting two targets in the tie-breaker.
The bronze medal shoot-off pitted Poland's Hubert Guzik against Greece's Andreas Angelos Pagoulatos. Guzik ultimately claimed the podium spot, hitting six targets against five from the Greek marksman.
Following the conclusion of the tournament, the President and Executive Board of the Cyprus Shooting Sport Federation issued a statement congratulating Meli and Christou for their medal achievements, while praising Germanos, Papacharalambous, and Michael for their highly competitive performances on the European stage. The federation also extended formal appreciation to the national trap coach, Antonis Fettas, who managed the delegation in Croatia. The Cyprus Sport Organisation (KOA) mirrored these sentiments, issuing congratulations to the athletes and the entire coaching staff.
Source: Cyprus News Agency
