ISSF Shooting World Cup: No medal for India on opening day in Argentina
Saurabh Chaudhary finished 18th in men's 10m Air Pistol qualification.
Varun Tomar (Source: NRAI)
India endured a medal-less start at the ISSF Shooting World Cup in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as none of the Indian shooters managed to secure a podium finish on the opening day.
India's ace shooter, Saurabh Chaudhary, had an underwhelming return to international competition, finishing 18th in the 10m Air Pistol qualification round.
This was his first major event with the Indian national team since the 2023 Asian Championships.
The 22-year-old posted a total score of 577, with 14 inner 10s, falling short of the top-eight cut required to advance to the final.
While Chaudhary struggled, his compatriots, Ravinder Singh and Varun Tomar, managed to secure places in the medal round. Both shooters shot 580 in the qualification phase to enter the final. However, their campaign ended without a podium finish, with Varun placing fifth (179.9 points) and Ravinder settling for sixth (160.0 points).
Final Standings – 10m Air Pistol (Men)
Hu Kai (China) – 244.7 (587) - Gold
Anton Aristarkhov (AIN) – 243.3 (586) - Silver
Jason Solari (Switzerland) – 223.0 (584) - Bronze
Varun Tomar (India) – 179.9 (580) - 5th
Ravinder Singh (India) – 160.0 (580) - 6th
Saurabh Chaudhary (India) – 577 - 18th
RPO: Amit Sharma (India) – 579, Aakash Bhardwaj (India) – 577
Amit Sharma and Aakash Bhardwaj, who were competing only for ranking points, also produced respectable scores of 579 and 577, respectively, but were not in medal contention.
India's Campaign Continues
With the men's 10m air pistol event concluded, Indian shooters will now shift their focus to other ongoing events at the ISSF World Cup.
The men's and women's skeet Qualification rounds are currently underway, featuring Indian shooters Bhavtegh Singh Gill, Gurjoat Khangura, Anant Jeet Singh Naruka, Ganemat Sekhon, Raiza Dhillon, and Darshna Rathore.
India is still searching for its first medal in Buenos Aires, and all eyes will be on the remaining events to see if the country's marksmen and markswomen can bring home silverware.
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