Rio Olympic champion Catherine Skinner has been narrowly defeated by Italian Jessica Rossi in a thrilling shotgun final at world championship in Moscow.
In a duel of Olympic champions, Skinner had to be content with silver behind Rossi, who won in London in 2012.
The pair traded the lead up until the 41st shot when Rossi opened up a two-point break. She held that until the end. Third place went to 2008 and 2012 Olympic silver medallist Zuzana Rehak Stefecekova of Slovakia.
Skinner paid tribute to Rossi's resurgent form.
"You can't beat someone who doesn't miss," she said.
Shooting Australia's shotgun high performance coach Adam Vella said Skinner's skills were on full display despite taking a break after Brazil.
"It's great to see Catherine on the podium again in her first international competition since Rio," Vella said. "Her training and mental preparation leading up to this event have been exceptional.
A total of 640 athletes from 76 nations are competing at the World Shotgun Championships, which end on September 10.
