New Delhi, Dec 8 (IANS) World championship bronze medallist Zorawar Singh Sandhu finished seventh in the men’s trap final with seven hits in the first 10 targets, as India concluded their second-best ever campaign at an International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Finals (WCF) with a total of six medals, including two gold medals.

Zorawar was the only Indian representative on the concluding Shotgun Day at the Lusail Shooting complex in Doha, which saw all four individual Shotgun finals played out on Monday. India’s best-ever campaign was in Putain in 2019 in the ISSF World Cup Finals with three gold medals.

Zorawar had qualified for the final, now up to eight from the earlier six with the new ISSF rules, with a score of 119 in qualifying, which gave him sixth place over 125 targets. In the now 30-shot final, he could not get his act together and was among the first two, alongside Italian Giovanni Pellielo, to bow out.

China topped the standings ahead of India, with four gold medals and nine medals. The USA, with their double gold in men’s trap and skeet on the day, came third, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) informed in a release on Monday.

Among India’s high points of the campaign was a stunning gold by Simranpreet Kaur Brar in the women’s 25m pistol and a return to the top of the podium of Suruchi Phogat, who won the women’s 10m air pistol gold.

India also registered a first-ever double podium finish in an ISSF World Cup Final, when Sainyam took the first of three silvers from the campaign for India. Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions and Anish Bhanwala in the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol were the other silver winners. India’s lone bronze was won by the reigning world champion in the men’s 10m air pistol, Samrat Rana.

Indian debutants Suruchi Phogat and Sainyam caused the biggest flutter at the Lusail Shooting Complex in Doha on the opening competition day of the season-ending competition by winning gold and silver, respectively, in the 10m air pistol women’s event. Suruchi shot a Junior World Record score of 245.1 in the eight-woman final, to leave her senior teammate 1.8 behind in second. This was the first time India registered a double podium in the premium year-ending ISSF showdown between the year’s best shooters and Olympic and World Championship medalists. China’s Yao Qianxun won bronze with 219.4.

–IANS

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