ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Championship 2022: Indian men’s 10m air rifle team wins gold medal
The 10m air rifle women’s team, meanwhile, settled for the bronze medal after defeating Germany 17-11 in the playoff. The women's 10m air pistol team bagged a silver.
The Indian men’s 10m air rifle team of Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil, Kiran Ankush Jadhav and Arjun Babuta combined to beat a star-studded China 16-10 in the final to win a gold medal at the ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Championship 2022 in Cairo on Sunday.
It was the second gold medal by the Indian seniors at the event.
The Indian men’s rifle team stormed to a 14-2 lead against the Chinese side comprising two-time Olympic and world champion Yang Haoran, Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Lihao Sheng and world championship silver medallist Song Buhan.
In the final, two points are awarded to the team winning a series and the first to 16 points wins the gold medal.
The Chinese team, who had outscored the Indian side in both qualification rounds on Saturday, bounced back by winning the next four series’ and closing the gap to 14-10. However, the Indian trio maintained their composure to win the following series and secure the top podium.
Last week, Rudrankksh Patil, 18, earned a Paris 2024 Olympics quota place for India by winning the gold medal in men’s 10m air rifle. It was India’s second quota in shooting for the Olympics after trap shooter Bhowneesh Mendiratta secured a berth for the Summer Games by finishing fourth at the shotgun world championships.
The Indian 10m air rifle women’s team of Elavenil Valarivan, Mehuli Ghosh and Meghana Sajjanar, meanwhile, clinched a bronze medal by defeating Germany 17-11 in the playoff.
In the women's 10m air pistol team event, the Indian trio of Rhythm Sangwan,Yuvika Tomar and Palak Sangwan had to settle for a silver medal after losing 8-16 to China in the gold medal match.
Overall, India now has 13 medals at the ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Championship 2022, which includes five golds, two silvers and six bronze medals. Indian seniors have won two golds, one silver and one bronze while the rest have come from the junior meets.
Both the senior and junior world championships are being held simultaneously this year in Cairo.