Indian Women 3P Shooters Exited at ISSF World Cup Qualifiers
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New Delhi, April 10 (NationPress) In the ongoing ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol taking place in Granada, Spain, all three Indian competitors in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) event were unable to advance past the qualifiers. Surabhi Bharadwaj Rapole and Olympic medalist Anjum Moudgil both recorded scores of 587, finishing in 18th and 19th positions, respectively. Meanwhile, Ayushi Podder scored 585, placing her 27th. The final qualification spot was secured with a score of 589.
On the same day, Ankur Goel emerged as the highest-scoring Indian in the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol (RFP) discipline, achieving a score of 289 after the initial precision round. Olympian Vijayveer Sidhu followed closely with 287, while Neeraj Kumar managed 282. This trio will return on Saturday for the second qualification stage, where only the top eight will move on to the finals.
Saturday marks the second-to-last day of competitions, featuring the finals for the women’s 10m air pistol. Indian hopes are pinned on reigning Asian Games champion Palak, along with Sainyam and Meenu Pathak. Thus far, India has secured one gold medal at the Granada World Cup.
Earlier, Divya TS achieved a commendable fourth place in the women’s 25m pistol, while Gajanan Khandagale made a strong debut in the men’s 10m air rifle, finishing fifth. Divya's score of 28 in her third individual World Cup final placed her just shy of a medal, while Gajanan concluded with a score of 187.5 in his final.
China’s Xiao Jiaruixuan, a bronze medalist from the Tokyo Olympics, clinched the gold after an intense shoot-off, narrowly defeating her teenage compatriot Kong Jieru. Both athletes tied with 39 hits after the regulation series, leading to a tense final round. Camille Jedrzejewski, the bronze medalist from the Paris Olympics, finished ahead of Divya with 34 hits.