Nadine Messerschmidt topped women's skeet qualifying after day one at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Nicosia ©DSB

Nadine Messerschmidt topped the women’s skeet standings after the opening day’s qualification at the International Shooting Sport Federation’s Shotgun World Cup at Nicosia in Cyprus.

The German. who was sixth in the 2018 European Championships, hit all but one of her 75 clays at the Lakis Pimolophitis shooting range to go into tomorrow’s second qualification round – which will be followed by the final – with confidence high.

Kazakhstan’s Anastassiya Molchanova was just one behind her, with Poland’s Natalia Szamrej third on 72.


Nadine Messerschmidt has a narrow lead over Anastassiya Molchanova in women's skeet qualifying after day one at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Nicosia ©DSB
Nadine Messerschmidt has a narrow lead over Anastassiya Molchanova in women's skeet qualifying after day one at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Nicosia ©DSB


Thailand’s Sutiya Jiewchaloemmit, 16th in the current world rankings, leads the challengers on 71, one clear of Martina Skalicka of the Czech Republic.

Home shooters Konstantia Nikolaou, who is the world number nine, plus Andri Eleftheriou and Panayiota Andreou, who won bronze in the team event at the last World Championships in 2018,  will all be involved in the women's skeet at the Lakis Pimolophitis shooting range.

The World Cup is part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualification process but has been impacted by the coronavirus crisis, with India among the teams to have withdrawn.