Sanjeev Rajput, Tejaswini Sawant mixed team finish fifth in 50m rifle 3 positions at ISSF World Cup

The Indian shooting team of Sanjeev Rajput and Tejaswini Sawant fell short of making the medal round in the 50m rifle 3 positions mixed team event at the ISSF World Cup in Osijek, Croatia on Tuesday.

The Indian duo was tied in fourth position with the Hungarian pair of Eszter Meszaros and Istvan Peni at 581 points each in the second part of the qualification.

However, Sanjeev Rajput and Tejaswini Sawant lagged behind in the inner 10s, which is the decider in the case of equal scores.

The Indians scored 28 inner 10s while the Hungarians scored 29 perfect shots to qualify for the bronze medal match.

Sanjeev Rajput and Tejaswini Sawant thus ended their event in the fifth position. The two had won gold in the same event at the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi in March.

The other Indian pair in the 50m rifle 3 positions mixed team competition, featuring Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Anjum Moudgil, failed to qualify for the second round.

Aishwary-Anjum, with their combined score of 873, finished ninth in the qualifiers just below Sanjeev-Tejaswini. Only the top eight teams moved to the next stage.

Interestingly, the inner 10s were once again the deciding factor as both Indian teams finished with equal points.

Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Anjum Moudgil shot 43 inner 10s while Sanjeev Rajput and Tejaswini Sawant shot 45 to move further.

This was the last event for Indian shooters at the World Cup. 

The Indian shooting contingent ended its Croatia World Cup campaign with four medals - one gold, one silver and two bronze. All wins came from the pistol shooters.

Indian medal winners at ISSF World Cup in Croatia

1. Rahi Sarnobat - Gold medal, women’s 25m pistol
2. Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary - Silver medal, 10m air pistol mixed team
3. Saurabh Chaudhary - Bronze medal, men’s 10m air pistol
4. Manu Bhaker, Rahi Sarnobat and Yashaswini Singh Deswal - Bronze medal, 10m air pistol women’s team