Synopsis
On April 15, Saurabh Chaudhary captured a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol men’s event at the ISSF World Cup in Lima, Peru, marking India’s first medal of the tournament. The competition showcased significant talent, with China’s Hu Kai achieving gold and Brazil’s Felipe Almeida Wu taking silver.Key Takeaways
- Saurabh Chaudhary wins bronze at the ISSF World Cup.
- China’s Hu Kai narrowly misses the world record.
- Brazilian Felipe Almeida Wu secures silver.
- Strong performance by both Indian shooters in the finals.
- Competitive nature of the event highlighted.
Lima, April 15 (NationPress) Former Asian Games and Youth Olympic champion Saurabh Chaudhary has added another prestigious World Cup medal to his collection, securing the bronze in the 10m air pistol men’s event on the opening day of the second International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun stage held at the Las Palmas shooting range in Lima, Peru.
China’s Hu Kai took the gold medal with a score of 246.4, just 0.1 shy of the world record, while Brazil’s Olympic medalist Felipe Almeida Wu earned silver. Saurabh finished with a score of 219.1, concluding his performance after the 22nd shot.
Earlier, both Indians, Saurabh and Varun Tomar, made it to the top eight finals, with Saurabh placing fifth with a qualification score of 578 and Varun finishing eighth with a score of 576.
Both competitors had a strong start in the finals, with Saurabh in second and Varun in third position after the first five shots, while another Chinese shooter, Xie Yu, took the lead.
However, the Indian pair struggled to hit the 10-ring afterward, as Hu began to pull ahead following the initial singles shots. The first competitor eliminated was Austrian Richard Zechmeister.
Next out was the German legend and former Olympic and World champion Christian Reitz, while a score of 10.9 from Tomar for his 14th shot lifted him to seventh place. Saurabh also made progress, achieving a score of 10.7 on his 14th shot.
The nine-syndrome hindered Tomar again, as Saurabh, with scores of 10.2 and 10.6, advanced to second place after his 16th shot.
As Xie exited in fifth position after the 18th shot, the contest for the remaining medals was clearly between Saurabh and Wu, while Kai and Varun appeared to be on opposite ends of the leaderboard.
Unfortunately, the anticipated battle did not materialize in the 21st and 22nd shots for Saurabh, who scored 9.6 on both, allowing Wu to secure silver. Kai narrowly missed the world record.
