Tokyo 2020 calling for India as Deswal bags gold at Rio World Cup
Deswal becomes the second female pistol shooter after Manu Bhaker to win a quota place for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Yashaswini Singh Deswal has now made her mark at the senior level as she shot with supreme precision and confidence to win her first ever ISSF World Cup gold medal in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol category at the Rio de Janeiro stop on Saturday.
Along with the big win, the 22-year-old also bagged an Olympic quota and ensured India will have the maximum possible participants in the 10m pistol shooting category at next year's Games.
Top of the Charts
Right from the get-go, Deswal was in her element as she managed scores of 99 and 97 in the first two rounds of qualification. Following the solid start, the young shooter never let the ball drop, as she cruised through to the finals with a whopping cumulative score of 582 after six rounds.
In the finals, Deswal continued her dominance as she took the lead early on and kept in the ascendency till the very end. The youngster ultimately cliched the gold medal with a score of 236.7, with silver medallist Olena Kostevych falling behind on her score by 1.9 points.
India’s other female shooter in the 10m Air Pistol event, Annu Singh, though had a dismal outing in Rio finishing in 21st place and not making it past the qualification phase.
50m Rifle Disappointment
While Deswal’s brilliant performance helped continue India’s good performance in Rio thus far, Saturday’s other event - the 50m Rifle 3 Positions was largely forgettable for the nation’s shooters. The participants could not make it past the qualification round, with Kajal Saini their best ranked shooter in 22nd place.
Great Britain’s Seonaid Mcintosh won the gold in that category, while the Olympic quota places were won by Kim Jehee and Pei Rujjirao, who finished second and third respectively.