Key Points
Varun and Ravinder reached air pistol final with identical 580 qualifying scores
Argentina World Cup features over 400 shooters from 45 countries
Two more finals scheduled for Friday with Indian hopes high
The duo qualified in seventh and eighth positions with identical scores of 580, Ravinder a spot ahead on more shots in the inner-10 ring.
However, both, especially Ravinder, after being in medal contention in the initial stages of the eight-man 24-shot final, bowed out after the 16th and 18th shots, respectively. Saurabh Chaudhary, the third Indian fighting for medals, finished 16th in qualification with a score of 577.
Skeet competitions also got underway on the day with the first two rounds of qualifying comprising 25 targets each, on the detail. India’s Raiza Dhillon in the women’s skeet got off to a perfect 25/25 start and was leading the field.
Two finals on Friday
Friday has two finals on schedule, with both the men’s and women’s 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) medals set to be decided. India has three entrants in both events, according to a release issued by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
While Olympian Chain Singh, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, and Niraj Kumar will take aim for the country in the men’s 3P, Olympians Sift Kaur Samra and Shriyanak Sadangi as well as Ashi Chouksey will carry India’s hopes in the women’s event.
Manu Bhaker, Simranpreet Kaur Brar, and Esha Singh also compete in the first precision qualification stage of the women’s 25m pistol event.
Over 400 shooters, including a galaxy of reigning and former Olympic and World champions from as many as 45 countries, will be competing for 15 gold medals on offer, looking to begin the year on a high. This includes a block of 23 athletes who will be participating as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN). The ISSF World Cup stages, after the Olympics and the World Championships, are the highest level of competition in the sport.
Comments:
Great effort by our shooters! Making it to the finals is already an achievement. Varun and Ravinder will come back stronger 💪 #ProudIndian
Disappointing to see them drop out of medal contention after strong starts. Our shooters need to work on maintaining consistency through the entire final round.
Raiza Dhillon's perfect start in skeet is 🔥! Hope she can maintain this form. Looking forward to tomorrow's 3P finals - we have strong teams in both men's and women's events!
The competition is really tough with so many Olympic champions participating. Fifth and sixth positions are respectable finishes against this field. Keep your heads up, boys!
I wish the article had more details about the actual competition - what scores were needed to medal, who won gold, etc. Still, exciting to see Indian shooters competing at this level!
