The pair of Suruchi and Saurabh Chaudhary struck gold at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun in Lima, Peru, winning the 10m air pistol mixed team title 17-9 over the Chinese pairing of Yao Qianxun and Hu Kai. It was the teenager Suruchi’s third ISSF World Cup gold and Saurabh’s ninth, including his fifth mixed team gold to go with a mixed team World Cup silver.
The pair made the gold medal match at the Las Palmas range with a combined 580 in qualification, with Suruchi outscoring Saurabh by a couple of points. The Chinese pair topped with 585. In the decider as well, the Chinese pair got a head-start shooting off to a 2-6 and 4-8 advantage, before a time out called by Indian coach Samaresh Jung brought a change in the momentum of the match.
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Suruchi shot splendidly throughout, and the couple of times she missed the 10-ring, her Tokyo Olympian partner made up with high 10s, including a 10.9 for his first hit of the match.
The pair regained the lead they had lost after the first series of single shots, in the 10th series, going ahead 11-9 after a tied eighth series had levelled the scores at 9-9. They did not look back thereafter and needed just the next three series to wrap up the win as the Chinese misfired first under pressure.
They did it in style, too, closing out with 10.6 (Suruchi) and 10.5 (Saurabh) with both the Chinese failing to hit the 10-ring.
Earlier, the second Indian pair of Manu Bhaker and Ravinder Singh finished fourth, after going to the second Chinese pair of Zhang Yifan/Ma Qianke 6-16, in the bronze medal match. They were fourth in qualifying as well with a combined effort of 579.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Jhajjar girls Suruchi and Manu Bhaker were on the rampage at the Las Palmas shooting range, the former picking up back-to-back World Cup gold medals, stunning the double Olympic medallist pistol shooter Manu, who took the silver.
Taking aim on competition Day One of the year’s second ISSF World Cup stage, Suruchi tallied 243.6 in the 24-shot 10m air pistol women’s final, to leave her senior double Olympic medal-winning compatriot 1.3 behind in the chase. China’s Yao Qianxun took bronze.
