Italy's Erminio Frasca has shattered the world record in trap shooting, delivering a flawless performance at the World Cup event held in Lonato del Garda, Brescia. The 42-year-old Fiamme Oro athlete scored a perfect 30 out of 30 in the final during the competition, a feat that has never been achieved in competitive trap shooting finals at this level. The gold medal performance not only marks a career pinnacle for the Latina-born shooter but also underscores Italy's dominant position in international clay shooting sports.
Why This Matters:
• Historic perfect score: Frasca's 30/30 final is the first world record of its kind in trap competition, setting a new benchmark for the sport.
• Home advantage: The victory came on Italian soil at the prestigious Concaverde facility, one of Europe's most technically demanding shooting ranges.
• Medal haul: Italy topped the provisional medal count at Lonato with 2 golds and 2 bronzes across trap and skeet disciplines.
• Mediterranean Games ahead: Fellow medalist Erica Sessa eyes Taranto 2026 as her next major competition after claiming bronze.
Perfect Execution Under Pressure
The Lonato World Cup, running from July 3-13, drew an expanded international field to the shores of Lake Garda. Frasca, who has been competing at elite level since joining the Polizia di Stato's Fiamme Oro sports group in 2003, described the win as anything but straightforward despite the perfect scorecard.
"International competitions of this caliber are never easy," the shooter explained immediately after the final. "Lonato always presents a particular challenge—the participation grows every year, and the target presentations are extremely demanding. In the final, I focused on executing one clay at a time properly, and in the end, it resulted in a beautiful victory that makes me very happy."
Frasca's track record speaks to decades of consistency. The athlete, who first picked up a shotgun in 1997, has accumulated world championship titles throughout his career and has competed at the highest levels of international shooting. His reputation for maintaining ice-cold composure in shootoffs has defined numerous medal battles and previous World Cup victories.
Silver in Friday's competition went to Spain's Andres Garcia, while France's Clement Bourgue took bronze.
What This Means for Italian Shooting Sports
The Lonato results reinforce Italy's structural advantage in clay target disciplines. The country maintains one of Europe's deepest talent pools in shooting sports. The Italian Shooting Federation (FITAV) has designated separate Olympic squads for trap and skeet, with Marco Conti serving as national technical director for trap and Luigi Agostino Lodde overseeing skeet.
The Concaverde facility itself, located in the Brescia province, has evolved into a proving ground for international competitors. Its technical installations and challenging clay trajectories make it a favorite venue for major championships.
Beyond Frasca's historic performance, Italy collected additional hardware across multiple events. Sara Bongini claimed gold and set her own world record in women's skeet, while Erik Pittini earned bronze in the men's skeet category. The dominance extended to team events, with three Italian shooters—Pittini, Gabriele Rossetti, and Valerio Palmucci—reaching the men's skeet final.
Sessa Confirms Form Ahead of Mediterranean Games
In the women's trap event, 27-year-old Erica Sessa secured bronze, finishing behind India's Neeru Dhanda (gold) and France's Carole Cormenier (silver). The Cava de' Tirreni native, who competes for the Fiamme Oro alongside Frasca, had previously won gold at the World Cup opener in Tangier, Morocco, earlier this season.
"I'm truly very happy with how I'm shooting, and performing well when you're at home in Italy is even more beautiful," Sessa said. "Here at Concaverde the competitions are really demanding because the facilities are perfect and the technical level is extremely high."
The Salerno-based policewoman, coached by Marco Conti, now turns her attention to the XX Mediterranean Games in Taranto, scheduled for later this year. The event will feature shooting competitions at the Impianto Comunale Tiro a Volo (TAV Torricella).
"Now I'm looking toward the Mediterranean Games, the next event I should participate in, and then we'll see for subsequent competitions," Sessa explained. "I dedicate this medal to my family and to those who support me every day—the Federation and the Fiamme Oro sports group."
Italy has a storied tradition in Mediterranean Games shooting, dating to the inaugural 1951 edition, and Sessa's recent form positions her as a competitive contender in Taranto. Other prominent Italian shooters, including Olympic champion Jessica Rossi and Paris 2024 silver medalist Silvana Stanco, participated in the Lonato qualifications, though neither advanced to the women's trap final.
Building Depth for Future Competitions
The Italian delegation's performance at Lonato reflects strategic investment in both elite athletes and emerging talent. Junior shooters have recently captured success at world championship events, while Para-Trap competitors posted strong results at major 2026 competitions.
For residents and sports enthusiasts in Italy, the Lonato results offer both national pride and concrete evidence of the country's continued relevance in Olympic shooting disciplines. The string of records and medals also raises the profile of shooting sports domestically, potentially drawing increased sponsorship and youth participation heading into the next Olympic cycle.
As Frasca and Sessa both demonstrated this weekend, Italian shooters are capitalizing on competitive excellence—a trend that could pay dividends when international competition returns to Italian soil throughout the remainder of 2026.
