India’s campaign at the season-ending ISSF World Cup Final in Doha opened in spectacular fashion as Suruchi Singh produced a commanding performance to capture the women’s 10m air pistol gold on Saturday. Compatriot Sainyam completed India’s dream start by taking silver, securing a superb 1-2 finish for the country. Suruchi’s win became even more special as she shattered the Junior World Record, firing a sensational 245.1 in the final. The previous junior benchmark stood at 241.7, set by Manu Bhaker in 2019. In contrast, the men’s 10m air pistol final delivered intense twists. Reigning world champion Samrat Rana, who looked in prime touch early on, slipped out of gold-medal contention after a couple of costly low shots and settled for bronze. Varun Tomar, who began confidently, finished fourth after fading in the closing stages. Earlier in the day, the rifle shooters endured a disappointing run, but Suruchi’s brilliance revived India’s fortunes. Her exceptional 245.1 put daylight between her and the rest of the field, while Sainyam followed with a composed 243.3. Three-time Olympian Manu Bhaker, also in the final, finished fifth with 179.2. Suruchi, who dominated the World Cup circuit this year with four straight gold medals, entered the 12-shooter final after scoring 586 in qualification, placing second. Bhaker (578) qualified sixth, and Sainyam (573) edged through in eighth position. The final, however, saw a different avatar of Sainyam. The 21-year-old stormed into the lead for much of the contest before a run of four 9.5s halted her charge, enabling Suruchi to reclaim control and seal gold. The champion shooter, daughter of a Havildar from Jhajjar — also Manu Bhaker’s hometown — earned €5,000 for her win, while Sainyam collected €4,000. The men’s final brought its own drama. Samrat Rana, fresh from his world title in Cairo, looked poised for another top finish before China’s Hu Kai — whom Samrat had edged out at the Worlds — turned the script around. Hu clinched gold, Germany’s Rio 2016 Olympic champion Christian Reitz took silver, and Samrat finished with 221.5. Tomar followed in fourth with 201.2. In qualification, Samrat had shot 584 for second place, while Tomar (578) qualified sixth. India’s rifle shooters also fell short. Former world champion Rudrankksh Patil shot consistently in the men’s 10m air rifle final but one early 9.8 — his only sub-par shot — proved decisive as he finished fourth. Arjun Babuta placed sixth. In the women’s 10m air rifle event, Elavenil Valarivan narrowly missed the eight-shooter final, ending ninth with 630. The men’s rifle event was won by Sweden’s Victor Lindgren with 253.0, while China’s double Olympic champion Sheng Lihao finished second with 252.6. Hungary’s Istvan Peni claimed bronze. In shotgun, India’s lone representative Zorawar Sandhu closed Day 1 in ninth place with a score of 70/75 in men’s trap. He will return for two more qualification rounds on Sunday as the race for the final tightens.
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