Jitu Rai-Heena Sidhu win 10m air pistol mixed team gold at ISSF World Cup Final

Rai and Sidhu, who began slowly, shot a total of 483.4 in the five-team final to clinch the gold medal. (Source: PTI)

India’s campaign at the World Cup Finals got underway with a gold medal after Jitu Rai and Heena Sidhu finished on top of the podium in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Dr Karni Singh Range on Tuesday.

The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) introduced mixed team events this year to ensure gender parity. The mixed team format, an Olympic event, made its debut at the year’s first World Cup in Delhi in February. Rai and Sidhu had won the gold medal back then as well, but it was just a demonstration event. It made its debut as a medal event on Tuesday after several rounds of testing.

Rai and Sidhu, who began slowly, shot a total of 483.4 in the five-team final to clinch the gold medal. France’s Florian Fouquet and Celine Goberville won silver with a score of 481.1 while China’s Yang Wei and Cai Xiaoxue finished third after scoring 418.2. Rai-Sidhu qualified for the final in first place after shooting a score of 767 in the qualification round. They were followed by the French (766) and Chinese (764) in the qualification round as well.

However, India could not double its medal tally after Deepak Kumar and Meghana Sajjanar finished fourth in the 10m air rifle mixed team final, scoring 387.4 in the final. They had qualified for the medal round after finishing fourth in the qualification. China won gold and bronze while Serbia won the silver medal.