Om Prakash Mitharwal shoots Gold in men’s 50m Pistol event

Changwon, September 4: India has outshined like a shining star with athletes rising high in the Asian Games. Om Prakash Mitharwal won the gold medal in the men's 50m Pistol event of the ISSF World Championship at Changwon in South Korea on Tuesday.

This 23-year-old is first Indian shooter to win Gold Medal at International Shooting Sports Federation World Championship. His fellow teammate and Indian veteran Jitu Rai finished 17th. Rai had won the silver medal in 2014 in the same competition.

Mitharwal scored a total of 564 points to top the charts. He was followed by Serbia's Damir Mikec with 562 points and Daemyung Lee of South Korea with 560 points to make the podium.

Mitharval’s triumph means India have won the gold in both the senior and junior category of the 50m pistol event after Arjun Singh Cheema triumphed on an opening day.

Since 50m pistol shooting is no longer an Olympic event, Mitharwal cannot qualify for Tokyo 2020. This Rajasthan boy had won a bronze medal for the same event in Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast in Australia in April this year.

In women's event, the entire team consisting of Manu Bhaker, Heena Sidhu, and Shweta Singh failed to qualify. They finished 13, 29, and 45th respectively.