India shoots its way on top! Grabs 3 medals on 1st day of Shooting World Cup

Shahzar Rizvi won the gold in the men’s 10m air pistol, where veteran shooter Jitu Rai claimed the bronze and teenager Mehuli Ghosh took home the bronze in the women’s 10m air rifle event. This is the first senior world event for both Rizvi and Ghosh.

 

Competing in his first senior World Cup, Rizvi shot a world record score of 242.3 in the 24-shot final to beat an Olympic champion and settled for gold. Rai shot 219 to win the bronze with Germany’s Christian Reitz, the ruling Olympic champion in men’s 25M Rapid Fire Pistol, came in second with 239.7. India’s Om Prakash Mitharval finished fourth behind Jitu Rai with a score of 198.4.

 

Rizvi had finished second in the qualifying, behind Reitz shooting 579 to Reitz’s 588 after 60-shots. Rai was one behind Shahzar with 578, while Mitharval shot 576 to qualify in fourth place.

In this context, 17-year-old Mehuli, also a senior World Cup debutante, added to India's medal tally as she shot a world junior record 228.4 to win bronze in the women's 10m air rifle event. In the women's event too, three Indian shooters progressed to the final. Anjum Moudgil finished fourth with 208.6 points, while Apurvi Chandela was seventh in the standings with 144.1 points.

 

Sunday will see Indian compete in the men’s 10m air rifle and women’s 10m air pistol. Deepak Kumar, Ravi Kumar and Arjun Babuta will carry India’s hopes in the men’s event, while Mahima Agrawal, Manu Bhaker and Yashaswini Singh Deswal will be in the fight in the women’s event.