Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Ganemat Sekhon won gold in the skeet mixed team event, giving India its first medal at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Cairo on Sunday.
The overcame the challenge of Mexicans Luis Raul Gallardo Oliveros and Gabriela Rodriguez 6-0 in the final. Italy took the bronze through their pair of two-time World Championships silver medallist Simona Scocchetti and Rio Olympics champion Gabrielle Rossetti.
Mairaj was in brilliant form in the 30-team qualification round, shooting 74/75 to help the Indian pair shoot a combined 143 out of 150. That helped them reach the gold medal match in top position after they had won a shoot-off with the Mexicans 4-3, after they were tied.
A brilliant @MairajKhanOLY & #GanematSekhon have struck gold🥇 in Skeet Mixed Team at the @issf_official World Cup Shotgun in Cairo. They beat Mexicans Raul & Gabriela 6-0 in the final. Keep em coming guys👏#issfworldcup #shotgun #skeetshooting #skeet #teamindia #cairo #india pic.twitter.com/AlyBFs3rtI
- NRAI (@OfficialNRAI) April 30, 2023
"I was very confident when I started. We knew from the beginning of the day that we will win gold. We are preparing for the Paris Olympics," said a confident Mairaj after the victory.
In the decider, Mairaj again set the ball rolling with a perfect four hits which was complemented by Ganemat as the Mexicans missed three birds to give India a 2-0 lead.
Mairaj repeated a perfect four in the second series and, even though Ganemat missed a couple, the Mexicans again missed three as India pulled through 4-0.
The final series became a bit more open when Mairaj missed two targets and Ganemat one, but the Mexicans missed four in all to hand India the gold by a comprehensive margin.
This was a fifth senior ISSF medal for veteran Mairaj and the fourth for Ganemat, including a second gold in the mixed team event