Sofia Ceccarello and Yulia Zykova battled it out for top spot in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions final ©Getty Images

Italian teenager Sofia Ceccarello emerged victorious in the women’s 50-metre rifle 3 positions final at the European Shooting Championships in Croatian city Osijek.

It was the 18-year-old’s second medal of the tournament after securing bronze in the 10m air rifle contest last week.

Ceccarello had led for much of that competition only to finish third but she refused to be beaten on this occasion, beating Russian Yulia Zykova in a closely-fought final today.

Zykova led Ceccarello by 313.9 to 310.6 after the kneeling and prone rounds before battling it out in the standing elimination stages.

After five standing rounds, the two shooters were level at 454.2 each before Ceccarello hit 10.5 to clinch victory as Zykova could only register 8.7.

Jeanette Hegg Duestad of Norway completed the podium with 453.1 as Nina Christen of Switzerland came fourth with 440.0.

Gernot Rumpler was part of the Austrian team that secured gold in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event ©Getty Images
Gernot Rumpler was part of the Austrian team that secured gold in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event ©Getty Images

German duo Amelie Kleinmanns and Jolyn Beer also finished in the top six after positing 427.1 and 417.4 respectively.

Gernot Rumpler, Thomas Mathis and Patrick Diem steered Austria to gold medal success in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event.

Simon Claussen, Henrik Larsen and Jon-Hermann Hegg put up a strong fight but the Norwegians were defeated 49-47 by Italy in the final.

The bronze medal went to the Swiss team of Jan Lochbihler, Christoph Duerr and Fabio Paul Wyrsch.

The trio claimed a 51-39 victory over France’s Lucas Bernard Denis Kryzs, Michael D Halluin and Alexis Raynaud.