Four gold medals lead India to 2nd place

Riding on gold medals for familiar names in Sift Kaur Samra, Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil and Vijayveer Sidhu, and a rising star in Suruchi Phogat, the Indian shooting team finished second in the year’s first ISSF World Cup in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
With the help of the bronze picked up the mixed team air pol pair of Suruchi and Saurabh Chaudhary earlier in the day on Thursday, India’s tally of four gold, two silver and two bronze medals, put them just behind China, who finished on top of the standings with five gold, three silver and three bronze medals.

The highlight of India’s performance were the golds picked up Sift (50m rifle 3 positions (3P) women), Rudrankksh (10m air rifle men), Suruchi (10m air pol women) and Vijayveer (25m rapid-fire pol men). Vijayveer, in fact, became the first Indian to ever win an ISSF World Cup gold in 25m rapid fire pol event. Teenager Suruchi’s emphatic victory over a top field was also a fine performance, marking her continued good performances this year.
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The four together average just 21 years of age and two among them Sift and Vijayveer are already Olympians.
Silver in the women’s 25m pol 20-year-old Esha Singh was also a significant result. Chain Singh, an Asian Games medal in men’s 3P from over a decade ago, won his first individual ISSF World Cup medal, as well as former Asian Games and Youth Olympic Games champion Saurabh Chaudhary, making a return to the ISSF World Cup medals fold after a gap of two years winning a mixed team medal with Suruchi. Manu Bhaker, back in national colours, after her sensational run in Paris, came close to a medal in the mixed team event, and reached the final in 25m pol.
The squad now moves to Lima in Peru where the second South American leg and the second leg of the combined ISSF Shooting World Cup stage will see competitions begin from April 15, 2025.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

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