By Nick Butler

Rifle shooter Petra Zublasing received the female award ©ISSFItaly's Petra Zublasing and South Korea's Jin Jongoh have been elected 2014 Shooters of the Year following a year in which both secured World Championship titles alongside numerous other successes. 


The duo were selected by a panel consisting of representatives from the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Athletes' Committee and the ISSF Coaches Advisory Committee, along with a panel of international sport journalists.

Italian rifle shooter Zublasing was recognised following a dominant year in which she broke the 50 metres rifle 3 positions world record during the World Cup leg in Fort Benning, before winning another leg in Beijing, and a silver medal at the ISSF World Cup Final in Gabala.

The 25-year old athlete then won her first world title in the 10m air rifle at the Championships in Granada, earning a quota place for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in the process.

"It feels great to be elected Shooter of the Year," she said today.

"It means that I won more than just medals, last year.

"2014 has been a great season, everything came together, and I finally showed what I have been learning through the last years."

While Zublasing is one of the rising stars of the sport, Jin is one of the more established ones, having won 50m pistol Olympic titles at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, as well as the 10m air pistol in London. 

Three-time Olympic champion Jongoh Jin won two gold medals at the 2014 World Championships in Granada ©AFP/Getty ImagesThree-time Olympic champion Jongoh Jin won two gold medals at the 2014 World Championships in Granada ©AFP/Getty Images



In 2014, he won two more world titles in Granada, as well as the 10m air pistol team competition at the Asian Games in Incheon.

The 35-year-old, who was also named ISSF Shooter of the Year in 2008, also shattered a 34-year old free-pistol world record of 581 points set by the Soviet Union's Alexander Melentiev at the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games.

"Every time I shot a match, ever since I started competing, I have been trying to reach that result, it feels awesome." he said afterwards

The ISSF Shooters of the Year trophies will be officially awarded on a yet to be specified date later this year during the 2015 ISSF Shooting World Cup Series.

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