In a final where the latest Chinese sensation Peng Xinlu shattered the world record, India’s Meghana Sajjanar, competing in her first world final in eight years, clinched bronze in the women’s 10m air rifle. This marked her first-ever World Cup medal and helped India finish the season-ending International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol in Ningbo, China, in fifth place on the medal tally with one gold and one bronze.
Meghana scored 230.0 in the final, while Norwegian ace Jeanette Hegg Duestad took silver and Peng won gold, surpassing compatriot Wang Zifei’s previous world record of 254.8 with a score of 255.3.
Esha Singh had earlier secured India’s first medal of the Ningbo World Cup with a gold in the women’s 10m air pistol. The Indian squad, primarily made up of domestic rankers four to six, delivered a commendable performance in a world-class field. China topped the medal tally with three golds, followed by Norway with two, out of the 10 golds available.
Early on Sunday morning, in the second qualification round, Meghana shot a solid 632.7 to claim the seventh qualifying spot, while Peng led with an exceptional 637.4.
The Chinese shooter began the 24-shot final with a perfect 10.9, setting a high benchmark, while Meghana was at the bottom of the eight-woman field after the first series of five shots.
A strong second series of 52.3 moved her up to sixth, and over the next 10 single shots, the experienced Indian never scored less than 10.2, including a crucial 10.9 on her 12th shot, securing her first-ever medal at this level after nearly a decade of perseverance.
With individual neutral athlete Mariia Vasileva just 0.3 points ahead after the 19th shot, Meghana still had work to do. However, two scores of 10.4 in the final shots ensured Mariia could not catch up.
India also reached a second final on the day, their fourth overall in Ningbo, as Kiran Ankush Jadhav scored 590 in the men’s 50m rifle three positions qualification round, claiming the fourth spot.
However, a poor start in the first Kneeling and then the Prone positions saw him finish eighth in the final with a score of 406.7 after 40 shots.
Among other Indian contenders, Paris bronze medalist Swapnil Kusale shot a steady 587, finishing 21st overall and 19th among medal contenders, while Babu Singh Panwar scored 583.
In the women’s air rifle, Olympian Ramita Jindal shot 629.8 to finish 22nd overall and 16th among contenders, while Kashika Pradhan scored 626.6.
IANS
