Latvia's Dainis Upelnieks wins European title in new skeet solo discipline

Latvian skeet shooter Dainis Upelnieks claimed a gold medal at the European Shooting Championship on Saturday, October 3, winning the newly introduced men's Skeet Solo discipline, the Latvian Shooting Federation reported.

The European Shooting Championship is being held in Malakasa, Greece, running from September 27 to October 13. The men's Skeet Solo competition took place on October 3, with athletes progressing through several knockout rounds before the semifinals and final.

A commanding run to the final

Upelnieks opened strongly, beating Ireland's Jack Fairclough 6:2 in the first stage. In the second stage he defeated Greek shooter Panagiotis Gerochristos 7:1, and in the third stage he edged out Georgia's Jaroslav Startsev 6:4.

Those results carried Upelnieks into the semifinal, where he faced Marat Nezhdanov. The Latvian shooter again dominated, winning 6:0 to secure his place in the final.

Gold against Denmark

In the final, Upelnieks faced Danish shooter Jesper Hansen, who had beaten Turkey's Mustafa Serhat Sahin in the other semifinal. Upelnieks held the lead throughout the decisive match, winning 7:3 to become European champion in the Skeet Solo Men discipline.

This year's European Championship brings together the continent's leading skeet shooters and continues until October 13.