Albanian shooters in the international arena!
While the men in this sport have not won any medals (we are talking about the world championships, the European championships or the Olympics), the Albanian women, on the contrary, have made our flag fly several times in the international arena, in the European and World Championships. It must be said that in this sport, regardless of the dominance of Soviet athletes such as champions Nina Stoliarova, Zinaida Simonian or even Galina Korzun, the Albanian girls achieve well-deserved success, even defeating the Soviets.
European Championships
Thus, in the 25m pistol competition, Elizabeta Karabolli will be the first Albanian shooter who will bring our country the bronze medal at the European Championships in Rome in the 6th edition of this competition in 1977.
A year later in Hämeenlinna of Finland for the same race (Pistol 25m) will again be Elizabeta of the Partizani Sport Club who will win the silver medal, and the second European medal for Albania. In 1979 in Frankfurt, in this competition, Pistol 25m, Elizabeta Karabolli reached the maximum, winning the title of European champion and the gold medal.
Karabolli defeated the Soviet champion Galina Korzun, who had won the title two years before in Rome (1977) when our shooter E. Karabolli had taken the 3rd place, and at the same time the great champion, another Soviet athlete Zinaida Simonian.
The latter was twice declared the champion of Europe in the 10m Air Pistol competition in the edition of v. 1973 in Linz (Austria) and in that v. 1976 in Paris (France). This is enough to show the strength and merit of our great shooter Elizabeta Karabolli. These were the three European medals won in a row in its three editions by the only athlete, our champion E. Karabolli.
It will be the year 2007, that an athlete from Albania will win the gold medal in Granada, Spain, precisely Lindita Kodra will be the one who will honor our country with the second title, after that of Elizabeta, in the 25m Pitolete race.
Meanwhile, in the 50m rifle race (prop) Ermira Dingu will win the gold medal in the 1980 European Championships in Madrid (Spain), coming first with 594 points and defeating the European champion twice in this race in the 1975 editions (Sofia) and 1977 (Rome), East German Marlies Helpig and Austrian Huberta Mueller. Albania so far has this balance in the European Shooting Championships: 5- in total (3 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)
World Championships .
In the World Championships, the story is something different, anyway…. In the edition of v. 1986 held in Suhl (Eastern Germany), the Albanian team composed of Diana Mata; Emanuela Delilaj; and Shyti won the bronze medal by taking the third place in the 25m Standard Pistol competition and accumulating 1745 points, only three less than the second place of the French women Guepin; Manchon; Serra Tosio. Names like Elizabeta Karabolli, Ermira Dingu, Diana Mata or Lindita Kodra are already written as undisputed champions and fully deserved winners of medals in the international arena.
December 2020
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The official results were obtained from the International Shooting Federation ISSF.org.
