Indian Shooters Fail To Impress On Day One Of ISSF World Cup in China

Indian shooters did not have an impressive start to the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Final Rifle/Pistol event that kicked off in Putian, China, on Tuesday. Indian shooters failed to make a cut into the final rounds of the competition on the first day with veteran Sanjeev Rajput missing out the final berth just by a whisker.

Filip Nepejchal and Briton Seonaid Mcintosh, rising stars from Czech Republic, headlined the day with gold medals in the Men’s and Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions (3P) respectively.

Sajeev Rajput, who has already booked a Tokyo Olympic berth, finished 9th in the standings with a total score of 1153 in a low scoring qualifying round. He missed the final berth by one point as Poland’s Tomasz Bartnik booked the ultimate spot with a score of 1154. Another Indian shooter Akhil Sheoran, who was also competing in the same event as he had made the cut in this prominent season-ending showpiece, was 13th in the standings with a score of 1147.

Later in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions event, Anjum Mudgil, who won a silver in the same event in Mexico in 2018, failed to enter the finals as she could score a total of 1147 to finish 13th. Anjum scored 377 in kneeling, 390 in prone and 380 in the standing positions to accumulate a total score of 1147. She has a world record score of 1180 as her career-best.

The Indian contingent will look to bounce back on Day 2 on Wednesday as the team is to participate in two more finals. India will be seen in action in the 25-metre events, the rapid-fire for men, and sports pistol for women. Asian Games gold medalist Rahi Sarnobat and Manu Bhaker will look to revive India in the women’s division while Anish Bhanwala is tasked to uplift the team’s morale in the Men’s event.