(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
Indian Shooter Meghana Sajjanar Grabs Bronze in Thrilling 10m Air Rifle Final at ISSF World Cup
In an exciting finish to the ISSF World Cup in Ningbo, China, Indian shooter Meghana Sajjanar made history by winning a bronze medal in the women’s 10m air rifle event. This marked her first World Cup medal and India’s first final appearance in this category in eight years. The young sensation fought hard to help India secure fifth place overall, with one gold and one bronze from the season-ending rifle and pistol competition.
Meghana scored 230.0 in the high-stakes final, where China’s Peng Xinlu stole the show by smashing the world record. Peng clinched gold with an incredible 255.3, beating the previous record of 254.8 set by her compatriot Wang Zifei. Norway’s Jeanette Hegg Duestad took home silver. According to the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), Peng started strong with a perfect 10.9 in the 24-shot final, setting a tough pace.
Meghana had a solid qualification round earlier that Sunday morning, scoring 632.7 to grab the seventh spot. Peng led the pack with a stunning 637.4. In the final, Meghana started slow, sitting at the bottom after the first five shots. But she bounced back with a strong second series of 52.3, climbing to sixth. Over the next shots, she nailed consistent scores of at least 10.2, including a key 10.9 on her 12th shot. This grit paid off after years of hard work—her first medal at this level!
With neutral athlete Mariia Vasileva just 0.3 points ahead before the 19th shot, Meghana sealed the deal with two steady 10.4s, dashing any comeback hopes. It’s a big moment for Indian shooting, especially since the team mostly featured domestic shooters ranked four to six.
The day before, Esha Singh had already sparked joy for India by winning gold in the women’s 10m air pistol—her first medal of the Ningbo World Cup. China dominated the medal tally with three golds, while Norway grabbed second with two. Out of 10 golds up for grabs, India held their own against top global talent.
India made it to another final that day— their fourth in Ningbo—when Kiran Ankush Jadhav qualified fourth in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions with 590. But a rough start in the kneeling and prone positions dropped him to eighth, finishing with 406.7 after 40 shots.
Other Indian shooters showed promise too. Paris Olympics bronze medalist Swapnil Kusale scored 587 to place 21st overall and 19th among contenders. Babu Singh Panwar followed with 583. In women’s air rifle, Olympian Ramita Jindal hit 629.8 for 22nd place (16th among contenders), and Kashika Pradhan scored 626.6.
This strong performance caps a memorable ISSF World Cup for India, boosting hopes for future shooting events.
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