CHENNAI: After a cracking performance by teenager Rudrankksh B Patil in the ongoing ISSF World Championship in Cairo on Friday, the focus turned to pistol shooters on Saturday. With two quota events (10m air pistol — both men and women) lined up, it was time for the likes of Shiva Narwal and Rhythm Sangwan to step up.
The former did well to get past the qualification hurdle, which meant he was one step closer to the Olympic quota. However, in an eight-man ranking match, Shiva got off to a slow start and never recovered, eventually becoming the first one to get knocked out. The top-four shooters had the opportunity to earn a quota.
Credit must also go to Naveen, the other Indian in the competition, who just missed out after finishing ninth during the qualification stage. Vijayveer Sidhu, the third Indian entry, finished 19th. On the women’s side, Sangwan also got off to an average start and could not find her bearing. She eventually finished 17th. Yuvika Tomar and Palak, the other Indians in the fray, finished 25th and 50th, respectively.
Udhayveer sizzles
While the seniors drew blanks, Udhayveer had a memorable day as won both the junior men’s 25m and standard pistol titles. Esha Singh, competing in the junior women’s 25m pistol event, put up an emphatic performance to finish with a gold medal around her neck.
She finished fourth in the qualification round and then went on to finish second in the Ranking match to be part of a four-women medal match. She had saved the best for last. India also won two bronze medals through Sameer (men’s standard pistol) and Tejaswini (women’s 25m standard pistol).