Sarabjot Singh, the two-time junior world championship gold medalist, outperformed the other 24 medal contenders in the qualification round with a score of 585.
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Sarabjot Singh’s victory in the men’s 10m air pistol competition gave India the perfect start at the ISSF World Cup 2023 in Bhopal. Sarabjot defeated Azerbaijan’s Ruslan Lunev in the championship match with a commanding 16-0 victory in front of a noisy home crowd. The tournament’s first event took place at the MP Shooting Academy Range. Varun Tomar, another Indian, clinched the bronze in the same competition. With a score of 250.3, Varun beat Swiss competitor Jason Solari for the third-place finish.
Sarabjot Singh, the two-time junior world championship gold medalist, outperformed the other 24 medal contenders in the qualification round with a score of 585. Although Shiva Narwal finished on top in the qualifications, he was competing for ranking points. As a result, his result wasn’t considered for the ranking round. He topped the top-eight ranking round with a score of 253.2 before blanking out an opponent in an ISSF World Cup stage gold medal match.
Sarabjot’s win might probably be the first-ever blank-out of a rival in an ISSF World Cup stage gold medal match. He won the gold medal with a flawless 10.9 on the match’s final shot. While Sarabjot remained in the best three throughout the ranking round, his fellow countryman Tomar’s performance was relatively patchy. It appeared for a brief moment that two Indians would feature in the gold-medal match, but Tomar collapsed towards the end at the ISSF World Cup 2023 in the Bhopal leg.
Read more: ISSF World Cup 2023 Bhopal: LIVE Streaming, When and Where to Watch, Schedule, Indian Contingent
Li Xue of China claimed the gold medal in the women’s competition. Her countrywoman Qian Wei took home the bronze. Although the shooting powerhouse China was on the verge of missing out on medals when two of their finals in the men’s event ended fifth and sixth respectively, they responded well in the women’s competition. In the gold medal match, Li Xue upset two-time world championship medalist Doreen Veenekamp of Germany to win the title by 17-5.
Lu Kaiman, the current world champion landed outside the podium. Nonetheless, Qian Wei finished the ranking round with a score of 250.2, ensuring they won two of the three medals which were present. India’s Divya Subbaraju, who scored 197.1 in the ranking round, came in fifth and narrowly missed earning a medal. Indian star shooters Rhythm Sangwan, and Manu Bhaker, fired qualifying scores of 572 and 568 to finish at disappointing 10th and 12th positions respectively.
Read more: ISSF World Cup Bhopal 2023: Five Indian Shooters to Watch Out
