Shooting
ESPN staff 1y

Shooting World Cup: India win mixed team gold in both 10m rifle and pistol

Shooting, Shooting, Olympic Sports

India's young guns won gold in the mixed team event of both 10m air rifle and 10m air pistol at the ongoing shooting World Cup in Cairo on Monday.

R Narmada Nithin and Rudrankksh Patil, the reigning air rifle world champion, won the 10m air rifle mixed team to give India their first gold of the ISSF World Cup.

Then Varun Tomar, who had won bronze in the individual men's air pistol on Sunday, teamed up with Rhythm Sangwan to win gold in 10m air pistol mixed team event to put India on top of the medal tally.

Narmada and Rudrankksh shot a stunning 635.8 to top the 38-team 60-shot (30 shots each) qualification round. That effort took them to the gold medal match, where they defeated Hungary's Eszter Denes and Istvan Peni 16-6.

The 19-year-old Rudrankksh was in fine form, starting the final with a 10.9 and never falling below 10.3. Narmada had just three scores in the high 9s.

This was the pair's first international gold together and also their first gold medal at a senior ISSF World Cup stage.

The second Indian pair in the event, Tilottama Sen and Hriday Hazarika, had shot a score of 628.8 in the first qualification relay and eventually finished seventh. The top four pairs over both qualification make the medal rounds.

In 10m air pistol as well, Indian tends Rhythm Sangwan and Varun Tomar topped qualification round with a combined score of 583. In the gold medal match they were up against the experienced Serbian pair of Zorana Arunovic and Damir Mikec, who shot 582 in qualification to.

The final turned out to be the proverbial dogfight with both pairs sharing the first six single-shot series. Bronze medallist Varun proved to be the different as and soon the Indians led 10-6 and then 12-8 and then finally 14-10 before sealing the deal in the 13th series.

The second Indian pair of Divya T.S. and Sarabjot Singh shot 577 to finish fifth.

On Sunday evening, Veronika Major won the women's 10 air pistol gold defeating Serbia's Zorana Arunovic 16-6. India's Manu Bhaker finished fifth and Divya TS, playing her first senior World Cup, ended seventh.

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