Panza wins first international individual gold in university trap final
Italy’s Valentina Panza won the women’s trap title at the World University Shooting Championship in New Taipei. Zina Hrdlickova took silver and Elena Navelli bronze. Panza described work on weaknesses and support from teammates before her first individual international gold. The Italian shooter finished the final with 29 hits from 30 targets. 3 Italian women reached the final and 2 won medals.
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Panza wins the women’s trap title
Italy’s Valentina Panza won women’s trap at the World University Shooting Championship in New Taipei, Chinese Taipei. Czech shooter Zina Hrdlickova took silver and Italy’s Elena Navelli bronze. Panza’s victory on 30 October brought her first individual gold medal in international competition. 3 Italian women reached the final and 2 finished on the podium.[1], [2]
Panza is a mechanical engineering student at the University of Calabria. She completed the final with 29 hits from 30 targets, missing only one target during the second rotation. Hrdlickova finished with 25 from 30, while Navelli’s bronze-medal performance ended at 20 from 25. Gaia Ragazzini placed fourth with 16 from 20.[2]
Preparation before a first individual gold
Panza said she had spent considerable time before the championship identifying weaknesses and working to improve them. She also emphasised believing in herself. Her account of the final focused on concentrating on each target rather than thinking too far ahead about the result. She described the gold as a reward for the work and sacrifices behind it.[1], [2]
The Italian shooter also pointed to the preparation she shared with her teammates. They trained together, encouraged each other during the final and supported one another through the competition. After winning, Panza thanked the Italian shotgun federation, the university sports federation, coach Pierluigi Pescosolido, her teammates and those who supported her each day.[1], [2]
Navelli returns to the podium contest
Navelli, a student of agricultural science and technology at Marche Polytechnic University, was taking part in her second university world championship. She had reached the final in New Delhi two years earlier without winning a medal. This time she progressed through the eliminations to secure third place behind Panza and Hrdlickova.[2]
Navelli said she had wanted to test herself and reach the world podium after that earlier experience. She tried to stay focused on each shooting stage without allowing mistakes to affect her, and congratulated Panza on gold. Panza, Navelli and Ragazzini also won the women’s team title with a combined score of 334 from 375.[2]
