ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Championship 2022 | Indian men’s 10m air rifle team bags gold medal
At the ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Championship 2022 in Cairo, the Indian men's 10m air rifle team of Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil, Kiran Ankush Jadhav, and Arjun Babuta defeated China 16-10 in the final to win the gold medal. The Indian seniors won a second gold medal at the competition.
In their matchup with the Chinese team, which included two-time Olympic and world champion Yang Haoran, silver medalist Lihao Sheng, and silver medalist Song Buhan, the Indian men's rifle team exploded out to a 14-2 advantage. The winning team in the final receives two points, and the gold medal is won by the first team to reach 16 points.
The Chinese team, which on Saturday had outperformed the Indian team in both qualification rounds, recovered by winning the following four series to cut the deficit to 14-10. The Indian foursome kept their composure, though, and went on to win the next series and take first place.
Rudrankksh Patil, 18, won the gold medal in the men's 10m air rifle competition last week, securing India's quota spot for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Following trap shooter Bhowneesh Mendiratta, who qualified for the Summer Games by placing fourth in the shotgun world championships, it was India's second shooting quota for the Olympics.
Elavenil Valarivan, Mehuli Ghosh, and Meghana Sajjanar of India's women's 10m air rifle team defeated Germany 17-11 in the playoff to win the bronze medal. The Indian team of Rhythm Sangwan, Yuvika Tomar, and Palak Sangwan in the women's 10m air pistol team event was forced to accept a silver medal after falling to China 8-16 in the gold medal match.
At the ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Championship 2022, India has won 13 medals overall, including five gold, two silver, and six bronze. While the rest were from junior meets, Indian seniors did win two golds, one silver, and one bronze. This year in Cairo, the senior and junior world championships are being held concurrently.