India’s Meghana Sajjanar Wins Bronze in Women’s 10m Air Rifle at ISSF World Cup
In an exciting finish to the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol in Ningbo, China, India’s Meghana Sajjanar grabbed a bronze medal in the women’s 10m air rifle event. This marks her first-ever World Cup medal and India’s first final appearance in eight years. The young shooter from India fought hard to secure the bronze, helping the country end the season in fifth place on the medal tally with one gold and one bronze.
Meghana scored 230.0 in the nail-biting final. China’s Peng Xinlu stole the show by smashing the world record with a stunning 255.3, beating her compatriot Wang Zifei’s previous mark of 254.8. Norway’s Jeanette Hegg Duestad took home silver. Peng started strong with a perfect 10.9 in the opening shots, setting a tough pace for everyone.
Meghana had a solid qualification round earlier that Sunday morning. She shot 632.7 to grab the seventh spot, while Peng led with an impressive 637.4. In the final, Meghana struggled at first, sitting at the bottom after the initial five shots. But she bounced back with a strong second series of 52.3, climbing to sixth place. Over the next shots, she nailed scores of at least 10.2, including a key 10.9 on her 12th shot. This perseverance paid off after nearly a decade of effort.
With neutral athlete Mariia Vasileva just 0.3 points behind before the 19th shot, Meghana sealed the deal with two steady 10.4s. Her performance shows the grit of Indian shooters on the global stage.
India’s medal haul got a boost earlier from Esha Singh, who won gold in the women’s 10m air pistol on Saturday. The Indian team, mostly made up of domestic top performers ranked four to six, did well against top international competition. China dominated the tally with three golds, while Norway grabbed second with two. Out of 10 golds available, India held their own in fifth.
On the men’s side, Kiran Ankush Jadhav made it to the final in the 50m rifle 3 positions event. He qualified fourth with a score of 590. But a rough start in the kneeling and prone positions dropped him to eighth in the final, finishing with 406.7 after 40 shots.
Other Indian shooters put up a fight too. Paris Olympics bronze medalist Swapnil Kusale scored 587 to place 21st overall and 19th among medal hopefuls. Babu Singh Panwar followed with 583. In the women’s air rifle, Olympian Ramita Jindal shot 629.8 for 22nd place overall and 16th among contenders, while Kashika Pradhan managed 626.6.
This Ningbo World Cup highlights India’s rising talent in shooting sports, with more finals and strong showings from the squad. Fans are already looking forward to the next big events!
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