Indian Shooters Stumble In Final Asian Games Tune-Up; China Sweeps Golds
Indian shooters got an early indication of the challenge that awaits them at the Asian Games in Japan less than two months from now as hosts China dominated the opening day of the ISSF World Cup.
Indian shooters got an early indication of the challenge that awaits them at the Asian Games in Japan less than two months from now as hosts China dominated the opening day of the ISSF World Cup on Wednesday, winning both gold medals on offer while India finished without a podium. In their final global outing before the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 4, the Indian shooters endured a disappointing start as neither of the country's two 10m air pistol mixed teams progressed beyond the qualification stage.
The pairing of multiple World Cup gold medallist Suruchi Inder Singh and Kedarling Uchaganve finished ninth with an aggregate score of 577, with Suruchi shooting 292 and Kedarling managing 285.
With only the top four teams advancing, China underlined its superiority by ensuring two final spots with one of them -- Yao Qianxun and Hu Kai -- smashing the qualification world record with a combined 591.
India's second pair of Sainyam and Kamaljeet also totalled 577 but had to settle for 11th after scores of 288 and 289 respectively.
Yao and Hu went on to clinch gold with a world record score of 488.4, ahead of compatriots Shen Yiyao and Bu Shuaihang (485.7), while South Korea claimed bronze and the Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) finished fourth.
There was some encouragement in the men's 10m air rifle, where junior world champion Rakesh Parth Mane qualified second with 633.4, behind China's double Olympic champion Sheng Lihao (637.5).
However, Mane was unable to sustain the momentum in the eight-man final, slipping to seventh with 145.5 as Sheng secured the gold with 253.9 ahead of compatriot Zhang Changhong (252.4).
The remaining Indians also fell short, with Tushar Mane finishing 12th (630.5) and Himanshu Dhillon 22nd (629.3) in the 88-shooter field, underscoring the gulf India will have to bridge against a formidable Chinese squad before the Asian Games.
In the women's 50m rifle 3-positions event, Tilottama Sen finished eighth in Elimination Relay 2 with 586, while Ashi Chouksey was eighth in Relay 1 with 583. Vidarsa Vinod was ninth in Elimination Relay 1.
In men's skeet, Gurjoat Singh Khangura was the best-placed Indian after the opening three rounds, shooting 71/75 to be tied 23rd. Abhay Singh Sekhon was tied 41st with 69, while Parampal Singh Guron struggled with 62 to be joint 78th in the 86-shooter field. Two more rounds on Thursday will determine the eight finalists.
In women's skeet, Ganemat Sekhon led the Indian challenge with 67/75 to be tied 22nd, while Yashasvi Rathore (65) was tied 33rd and Darsha Rathore (64) was joint 37th.