India’s shooting contingent faced a minor setback on Tuesday as Ashi Chouksey and Anjum Moudgil missed out on qualifying for the finals of the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) event at the ongoing ISSF World Championships in Cairo.
Despite a strong performance, Ashi finished 15th with a score of 588-26x, narrowly missing the finals by just one point. Japan’s Misaki Nobata, who secured the eighth spot, edged her out with a score of 589. Meanwhile, Anjum Moudgil, a seasoned shooter and Olympian, ended her campaign in 17th place with 587-23x.
India’s third participant, Sift Kaur Samra, who made her Olympic debut earlier this year, could not find her rhythm and finished 48th with 580-28x.
Duestad Claims Gold, Norway Dominates Finals
Norway’s Jeanette Hegg Duestad, one of the most consistent shooters of the season, continued her golden run by clinching the world title with a score of 465.8 in the finals. Switzerland’s 17-year-old prodigy Emely Jaeggi stunned the crowd with her silver-medal performance, equalling the junior world record at 465.3.
Great Britain’s Seonaid McIntosh, returning to competition after a year’s break, displayed her trademark precision to secure bronze with 454.6. Emely’s sister, Vivien Joy Jaeggi, narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth.
India Maintains Second Place in Medal Tally
While the women’s rifle event didn’t bring new medals for India, the nation continues to hold second place in the overall medal standings, trailing only behind China. India’s shooters have so far claimed three gold, five silver, and three bronze medals.
China, on the other hand, remains dominant with eight golds and a total of 15 medals, maintaining its lead at the top of the table.
The spotlight now shifts to the 25m Sports Pistol event, where India’s star shooters Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh, and Rahi Sarnobat will begin their precision stage on Thursday.
India has sent a 40-member strong squad to compete across 17 events, including all 10 Olympic disciplines, in this year’s championship.
Although India’s shooters missed out on the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions finals, their overall performance in the ISSF World Championships continues to be impressive. With more events lined up, all eyes are now on the pistol specialists to add to India’s growing medal count in Cairo.