India top medal tally at shooting World Cup

Wednesday 14th March 2018 06:55 EDT
 
 

A podium eluded them on the final day but India had done enough to finish their best-ever campaign at the ISSF World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico, at the top of the medals tally with four gold, one silver and three bronze for a total of nine medals. Two-time Olympic champion Vincent Hancock of the USA won the men's skeet competition, the concluding event of the year's first International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup.

Shahzar Rizvi, Manu Bhaker, Akhil Sheoran and Om Prakash Mitharval won the gold medals in the competition, Anjum Moudgil bagged a silver, while established names such as Jitu Rai, Ravi Kumar finished with bronze. Though he did not win a medal, Sanjeev Rajput too shot very well and missed out by a whisker.

Akhil Sheoran shoots gold

Akhil Sheoran, 23, clinched gold in men’s 50m rifle 3position event on Sunday. Sheoran, who had qualified fourth with a score of 1174, shot 455.6 in the final. Compatriot Sanjeev Rajput, who got off to a strong start in the final after qualifying with a national record score of 1176, fumbled in the standing series and finished fourth with a score of 430.9.

Sheoran, who had lagged till more than half of the 45-shot final, made a splendid comeback to stun a strong field of shooters. The finalists included Rio Games bronze medallist and current World No. 1 Alexis Raynaud (France), former World Champion Sidi Peter (Hungary) and multiple World Cup gold medallist and World No. 2 Istavn Peni of Hungary along with Olympian Sanjeev Rajput.

The gold is Sheoran’s first medal in his second World Cup appearance since 2013. But more than the medal, it was Sheoran’s self-confidence that was at stake, since being on a shaky ground for past two years.

Anjum shoots silver

Chandigarh shooter Anjum Modgil took silver in her maiden appearance in the finals. Her medal in the women’s 50 m rifle 3 position. A former pistol shooter, Ajum switched to rifles after non-availability of pistols during her NCC stint in school. It was to prove a blessing in disguise. “I was a bit apprehensive before the final but I was confident owing to my performance in the qualifiers. I told myself that I had been waiting for this moment for long,” an elated Anjum said., “I don’t know whether I would have been able to reach this far, if I had stuck to pistol.”

The 50m rifle 3 position is considered amongst the toughest events in shooting, and while Anjum also reached her highest score of 1,170, it wasn’t India’s first World Cup silver in this category. Anjum emulated Lajja Gowswami’s 2013 silver in the 2013 World Cup in Spain, the difference being Anjum’s effort came with double number of shots.


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