New Delhi, April 11 (IANS) Sainyam, a former junior world and Asian champion, recorded her best finish at an International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol leg, shooting 178.9 in the women’s 10m air pistol final on the penultimate day of competitions at the Las Gabias Shooting Range in Granada, Spain, to claim a creditable fifth place on Saturday.

Reigning Asian Games champion Palak also made the final and finished seventh, bowing out after the 14th shot of the 24-shot final with a score of 137.9. China’s Shen Yiyao won gold with 244.2.

Sainyam shot 582 in qualification to take third spot in the 83-strong field, while Palak made the top eight, claiming seventh spot with a 577.

In the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol, Olympian Vijayveer Sidhu recorded the best Indian finish, his effort of 576 giving him 23rd place overall. Among other Indian medal contenders, Ankur Goel was 29th with a 572, and Neeraj Kumar placed 40th with an effort of 565.

All three Indians in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) competition in the ongoing ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol, in Granada, Spain, could not progress beyond the qualification stage, with Surabhi Bharadwaj Rapole and Olympian Anjum Moudgil logging scores of 587 each to finish in 18th and 19th spots respectively.

Ayushi Podder shot 585 to finish 27th. The eighth and final qualification spot went to 589.

Also on Friday, Ankur Goel was the best-placed Indian in the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol (RFP) with a score of 289 after the first stage precision round. Olympian Vijayveer Sidhu shot 287 while Neeraj Kumar shot 282. The trio comes back on Saturday for the second rapid-fire qualification stage before the top eight progress to the final.

Reigning Asian Games champion Palak will partner Mukesh Nelavalli in the 10m air pistol mixed team, the first event of the tournament, alongside Sainyam and Ujjwal Malik. In the second day’s final, the air rifle mixed team, India will be represented by Sonam Uttam Maskar and Gajanan Shahdev Khandagale, and Shruti and Arshdeep Singh, respectively.

As per the laid-down selection policy, India has fielded shooters ranked between 4 and 6 in the domestic national rankings. The team remains a strong contender, however, with established names such as Akhil Sheoran, Anjum Moudgil, and Mehuli Ghosh, world championship medalists all, leading the lines, along with the likes of World Cup final winner Simranpreet Kaur Brar, world record holder Rhythm Sangwan, and last year’s Buenos Aires World Cup gold medallist Vijayveer Sidhu, providing further solidity.

While some shooters have competed in continental competitions earlier in the year, for many, including those from powerhouses China, the Granada World Cup will be the international season opener. No wonder, then, that they have entered the second-largest 22-member squad, including three of their reigning Olympic champions.

–IANS

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