Indian shooters continued to face tough challenges at the ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup in Ningbo, China, as their medal hunt extended into day three on Thursday. Top performers like Divyansh Singh Panwar, Umamahesh Maddineni, and Rahi Sarnobat couldn’t make it past the qualification rounds, leaving fans hoping for a breakthrough.
The day’s big excitement came from Italy’s Danilo Sollazzo, who smashed a new world record in the men’s 10m air rifle final. The 2022 World Championship silver medallist— who finished fifth at the Paris Olympics— scored an incredible 255.0, beating the previous mark set by China’s Olympic champion Sheng Lihao by just 0.5 points. Sheng grabbed silver with 253.5, while Korea’s Park Haijun settled for bronze.
For Team India, things didn’t go as planned. Former world No.1 Divyansh Singh Panwar scored 630.0 in qualification but ended up 19th, far from the top eight cutoff. Sweden’s Olympic silver medallist Victor Lindgren snagged the final spot with 632.3. Umamahesh Maddineni placed 39th with 627.7, and Niraj Kumar finished 54th on 626.1.
Over in the women’s 25m pistol event, Korea stole the show. Olympic champions Yang Jin and Oh Ye-jin took gold and silver, with China’s Xiao Jiaruixuan earning bronze. India’s Abhidnya Ashok Patil shone brightly, hitting 295 in the rapid-fire stage for a total of 583. But she missed the final on inner 10s, landing 11th. France’s Paris Olympics silver medallist Camille Jedrzejewski also bowed out with the same score. Divya T.S. and experienced Olympian Rahi Sarnobat scored 581 each, finishing 16th and 17th.
China tops the ISSF World Cup medal tally with two golds, followed by Norway, Italy, and Korea. Indian shooting fans have plenty to look forward to on Friday, as Mehuli Ghosh, Surabhi Rapole, and Manini Kaushik gear up for the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions final. Can they finally bag a medal and end India’s dry spell? Stay tuned!
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