Coco produced one of the standout performances of the championship, winning the individual title with 34 hits and establishing a new World Record Junior. The Italian athlete missed only two targets throughout the final and showed remarkable composure under pressure to secure gold. Already considered one of the brightest young talents in international skeet, Coco's world title further strengthens Italy's reputation as a powerhouse in shotgun shooting.
Silver went to Kleanthis Kleanthous of Cyprus, who pushed Coco all the way to the closing stages of the final. Kleanthous finished with 33 hits, missing out on gold by just a single target after delivering a superbly consistent performance. The result marks one of the biggest achievements of his junior career and confirms his status among the world's leading young skeet shooters.
The bronze medal was claimed by fellow Cypriot Andreas Pontikis, completing an outstanding day for Cyprus. Pontikis remained in contention throughout the final and once again demonstrated the quality that has already brought him success at international junior competitions. His podium finish highlighted the remarkable strength of the Cypriot squad in Suhl.
That strength was first demonstrated in the Skeet Men Junior Team competition, where Stylianos Pericleous, Andreas Pontikis and Markos Kontopoulos combined for 351 targets to secure the world title for Cyprus. Pericleous and Pontikis both posted exceptional scores of 120, the highest individual qualification results of the competition, helping Cyprus edge Italy by a single target.
Italy claimed team silver with 350, led by Antonio La Volpe's 118 and Marco Coco's 117, while Germany secured bronze on home soil with 339. The narrow margin between Cyprus and Italy reflected the extraordinary level of competition throughout the event.
Italy claimed team silver with 350, led by Antonio La Volpe's 118 and Marco Coco's 117, while Germany secured bronze on home soil with 339. The narrow margin between Cyprus and Italy reflected the extraordinary level of competition throughout the event.
Fourth place in the individual final went to Ryan Kooijman of the Netherlands, who remained among the leaders for much of the contest before narrowly missing out on the medals. The Dutch athlete continues to establish himself among Europe's most promising junior skeet competitors.
Italy's Antonio La Volpe finished fifth after adding an individual finalist placing to his team silver medal. Together with Coco, he helped Italy emerge as one of the strongest nations of the championship.
Italy's Antonio La Volpe finished fifth after adding an individual finalist placing to his team silver medal. Together with Coco, he helped Italy emerge as one of the strongest nations of the championship.
Dorian Richard of France placed sixth, while Germany's Tobias Wenzel delighted the home crowd by reaching the final and finishing seventh. Both athletes gained valuable experience competing on one of the biggest stages in junior shooting sport.
Stylianos Pericleous, despite helping Cyprus secure team gold and recording one of the best qualification scores of the event, finished eighth in the individual final. His overall contribution nevertheless proved vital to Cyprus' success.
Stylianos Pericleous, despite helping Cyprus secure team gold and recording one of the best qualification scores of the event, finished eighth in the individual final. His overall contribution nevertheless proved vital to Cyprus' success.
The combined results underline the strength of junior skeet shooting across Europe. Italy celebrated an individual world title and a new World Record Junior from Coco, while Cyprus emerged as the most successful nation overall, capturing team gold and placing two athletes on the individual podium. Their performances provided one of the highlights of the ISSF Junior World Championship Suhl 2026.