Talented shooter Suruchi Singh delivered another commanding performance to clinch the women’s 10m air pistol gold, spearheading India’s impressive show on the opening day of the season-ending ISSF World Cup Final in Doha on Saturday. Compatriot Sainyam secured the silver, making it a proud gold-silver finish for the country.
In the men’s event, world champion Samrat Rana narrowly missed a top-podium finish, settling for bronze, while fellow Indian Varun Tomar finished a close fourth after a strong start.
Suruchi’s victory was especially uplifting after a disappointing showing by India’s rifle shooters earlier in the day. The 23-year-old fired a superb 245.1 in the final to take home the gold, while former junior world champion Sainyam followed with 243.3 for silver.
“After the second series I told myself this is what I should be doing, and I should not be looking at the score — and it worked,” Suruchi said after her win.
Double Olympic bronze medallist Manu Bhaker, who also qualified for the final, finished fifth with a score of 179.2.
Suruchi, who briefly held the world No. 1 ranking this year after winning four consecutive World Cup golds, showed excellent form throughout. She finished second in the qualification round with an impressive 586. Bhaker shot 578 to finish sixth, while Sainyam scraped into the final in eighth place with 573.
The final, however, saw the 21-year-old Sainyam rise to the occasion, leading for much of the contest before slipping after four below-average shots of 9.5 in the elimination stage.
Suruchi, the daughter of a Havildar from Jhajjar — also Bhaker’s home district — earned a prize of €5,000, while Sainyam received €4,000.
Samrat Rana Wins Bronze in Men’s Air Pistol
Karnal shooter Samrat Rana, fresh off his 10m air pistol world championship win in Cairo, looked set for another golden finish. However, a couple of poor shots cost him a place in the top two, allowing China’s Hu Kai to take revenge after losing to Samrat in Cairo.
“I like this range, and winning bronze in my first-ever World Cup Final is an achievement,” Samrat said. “I was struggling in the last one or two shots, but I enjoyed it and I’m happy. I’m gaining confidence competing with Olympic and World champions.”
Hu Kai clinched the gold, while veteran Christian Reitz of Germany — the 2016 Rio Olympic gold medallist in 25m rapid-fire pistol — finished with silver.
Samrat shot 221.5 in the final, with Tomar finishing fourth at 201.2. In qualification, Samrat scored 584 to rank second, while Tomar shot 578, finishing sixth.
Rifle Shooters Fall Short
India’s former world champion Rudrankksh Patil and Paris Olympic finalist Arjun Babuta missed the podium in the men’s 10m air rifle event, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively.
In women’s 10m air rifle, Elavenil Valarivan — fresh from her World Championships bronze — narrowly missed a spot in the final, ending ninth with 630.
Rudrankksh, who won the Buenos Aires World Cup gold earlier this season, entered the final after qualifying fourth with 631.9. Babuta shot 633.3 for third. China’s double Olympic gold medallist Sheng Lihao topped the qualification with 637.7, followed by Sweden’s former world champion Victor Lindgren at 633.5.
In the final, Rudrankksh shot just one below-par score of 9.8 early in the series — a slip that proved decisive. He finished with 209.9, while Lindgren clinched gold with 253.0, earning €5,000. Lihao took silver with 252.6 (and €4,000), while Hungarian stalwart Istvan Peni secured bronze.
Trap Event: Zorawar Sandhu Ninth After Day One
In trap shooting, World Championships bronze medallist Zorawar Sandhu ended day one in ninth place among 12 shooters, scoring 70/75 with series of 23, 24, and 23. He will return on Sunday for the remaining two rounds. Sandhu is India’s sole shotgun representative at the event.