Spain wins second shooting gold at Rio 2016 test event

Spain clinched its second shooting gold medal of the ISSF World Cup in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday when Alberto Fernandez won the the men's trap event.

The victory was also Fernandez's second of the 2016 World Cup series and confirmed his standing as one of the favorites for the event at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August.

The 32-year-old survived a tense final that required seven additional targets to see him overcome Belgian opponent Yannick Peeters.

"I'm happy for this second gold medal and I'm glad that it arrived here in the Olympic Shooting Centre in Rio." Fernandez said. "I have worked really hard in the last few months and it's really great to see that all that work pay off."

Pablo Carrera secured Spain's first gold medal of the competition - which is also serving as an official test event for the Olympic Games in August - when he won the men's 10m air pistol.

Meanwhile, Athens 2004 Olympic champion Olena Kostevych of Ukraine won the women's 10m air pistol final.

Kostevych led from the outset to end with 201.7 points, 4.0 points ahead of her rivals.

"I feel optimistic about Rio 2016, even if this was just a test event it felt good to win the gold medal in the same venue where the Olympic shooting competition will take place," Kostevych said.

"It was a very difficult match because of the heat. Some things need to be adjusted before the Games."

The event at the Olympic shooting centre in Deodoro features shooters from 88 countries and regions, including around 50 world and Olympic champions, according to organizers. Endit