Key Points

India's shooting teams had a disappointing start at the ISSF World Cup in Ningbo. Both rifle and pistol mixed teams failed to advance to the medal matches during qualifications. The Chinese pair of Qianxun Yao and Kai Hu dominated the pistol event for back-to-back gold medals. Indian shooters will look to bounce back in Wednesday's individual pistol and rifle events.

Key Points: India Rifle Pistol Teams Miss Medals at ISSF Ningbo World Cup

  • Indian pistol pairs finished 11th and 13th in qualification round
  • Rifle teams placed 14th and 34th in mixed team event
  • China's Yao and Hu won pistol gold with dominant 17-5 victory
  • Norway's Hegg siblings claimed rifle gold against world record-breaking Chinese pair
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India's Rifle and Pistol Mixed Teams misses out on medal in Ningbo

Indian shooting teams finish outside medal contention in both rifle and pistol mixed events at ISSF World Cup in China, with pairs placing 11th to 34th in qualifications.

"The Indian mixed teams in both the rifle and pistol events missed out on medals on the opening day - ISSF World Cup Report"

New Delhi, September 9

The Indian mixed teams in both the rifle and pistol events missed out on medals on the opening day of the international shooting season's fourth and final International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol stage at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Center in Ningbo, China, with neither pairs making it to the medal matches.

In the pistol mixed team event, the Indian pairs finished 11th and 13th in qualification, while in the rifle mixed team, the Indian pairs were placed 14th and 34th, as per a press release from the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).

In the Air Pistol Mixed Team event, India's first pair of Surbhi Rao (284) and Amit Sharma (290) registered a combined qualification score of 574-20x to finish 11th. The second pair, Olympian Rhythm Sangwan (289) and Nishant Rawat (282), finished 13th with a score of 571-15x.

The gold medal went to China's in-form pair, Qianxun Yao and Kai Hu, who claimed a dominant 17-5 victory over Czechia's Veronika Schejbalova and Jindrich Dubovy. This was back-to-back World Cup golds for the Chinese pair after their triumph in Munich, adding to their silvers in Buenos Aires and Lima earlier this year. Hungary's Veronika Major and Akos Karoly Nagy secured the bronze, defeating the Neutral Athletes' team of Iana Enina and Anton Aristarkhov 17-13.

In the Air Rifle Mixed Team event, India's Ramita Jindal (312.9) and Umamahesh Maddineni (315.7) shot 628.6 to finish 14th. The second pair of Meghana M. Sajjanar (312.8) and Divyansh Singh Panwar (309.3) managed 622.1, placing them 34th.

The final saw Norway's Jeanette Hegg Duestad and Jon-Hermann Hegg emerge champions with a 15-9 win over China's Xinlu Peng and Lihao Sheng, who had earlier broken the world record during qualification with 636.9. The Norwegian duo added to their gold in Lima and bronze in Munich. China's Peng and Sheng, meanwhile, collected a second successive silver. Italy's Carlotta Salafia and Danilo Dennis Sollazzo completed the podium with bronze.

-Strong international line-up awaits Indian shooters in the second day's competitions

India will look to open its medal account on Wednesday when Amit Sharma, Nishant Rawat, and Samrat Rana take to the range in the Men's 10m Air Pistol. The field will feature a high-quality line-up of 65 athletes, including China's World No.1 Hu Kai, winner of the last three World Cups' Gold, Neutral Athlete and world number five Anton Aristarkhov, and World No.6 Jason Solari of Switzerland, silver and bronze medalists respectively in Buenos Aires. Brazil's Felipe Almeida Wu, currently ranked world number eight and silver medalist in Lima, will also be in contention.

Paris Olympic medallists Federico Nilo Maldini (silver) and Paolo Monna (bronze) of Italy, alongside Hungary's Akos Karoly Nagy, add further depth to the draw. Qualification begins at 7:15 AM IST with the finals scheduled for 10 AM IST.

The Women's 25m Pistol (Precision Stage) qualification also begins tomorrow, where Olympian Rahi Sarnobat, Abhidnya Ashok Patil, and Divya T.S. from India will go up against a competitive 57-strong field.

The line-up includes Korea's Yang Jiin, Paris Olympic gold medallist and World No.5, along with Olympic silver and bronze medallist Camille Jedrzejewski of France and Veronika Major of Hungary.

World number two Yejin Oh of Korea, the reigning Olympic champion in 10m Air Pistol, World No.3 Qianxun Yao of China, and World No.8 Haniyeh Rostamiyan of Iran are also in contention. The qualification round begins at 7 AM IST.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
The Chinese team is really dominating this season. We need to analyze what training methods they're using and adapt. Our shooters have the potential but need better preparation against top competition.
A
Amit W
Mixed team events are always tricky. The coordination between partners takes time to develop. Hope NRAI gives them more opportunities to train together as pairs before major competitions.
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Sarah B
The scores aren't actually that bad - just that the competition is incredibly tough. World record broken by China in qualifications shows the level here. Our athletes are still performing decently against world-class shooters.
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Nikhil C
We need to invest more in sports psychology. Indian shooters often perform well in qualifications but struggle in finals under pressure. Mental toughness training is as important as technical skills! 🎯
K
Kavya N
All the best to Amit Sharma and others competing tomorrow! Hope they bring home medals. The field is strong but our shooters have beaten these competitors before. Believe in yourself! 💪

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