Shooting: Suruchi stuns Manu to win back-to-back World Cup gold

Taking aim on competition day one of the year’s second International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun stage, Suruchi tallied 243.6 in the 24-shot 10m air pistol women’s final, to leave her senior double Olympic medal-winning compatriot 1.3 behind in the chase. China’s Yao Qianxun took bronze.

Suruchi and Manu’s 1-2 finish in the women’s air pistol meant that India collected one medal of each colour on the day, with Saurabh Chaudhary earlier winning a bronze in the men’s event. That took them on top of the standings for now, with China, which had won the men’s air pistol gold, in second.

Signs were clear in the 60-shot qualification round itself when the Indian duo comfortably qualified from the 28-strong field. Suruchi took second with a regulation 582, while Manu was fourth with a 578. Sainyam, the third Indian in the fray, was 11th with 571.

Suruchi was on the money in the final as well, as she has been for four months now, and quickly moved to second after the first series of five shots. Yao had taken an early lead and Manu was fourth with Uruguay’s Julieta Jimenez, who shot a good final, in third at the stage.

After the second five-shot series, Yao had compatriot Meng Yufei breathing down her neck, just 0.1 behind, while Suruchi moved down to third with Manu holding on to her fourth position.

The Indians, Suruchi in particular, then came into their elements as Meng had a meltdown of sorts. A couple of high 10s ensured that after the 13th single shot, it was an Indian 1-2 with the Chinese falling out of podium places.

Manu then had a couple of mid-to-low 9s for her 16th and 17th shots, which probably cost her the gold in the end calculations, with Suruchi emerging as the more consistent one on the day.

Yao then had a good run and dethroned Julieta for bronze but with the final two shots left, it was Suruchi ahead of Manu by 0.7. The teenager shot both the final shots more than her senior to extend a sensational run of form, which began with the nationals in December last year.