Mairaj Khan wins historic skeet gold in World Cup
He topped the second stage of the competition among four, before beating Kim Minsu of Korea for the gold 37-36.
Published : Jul 18, 2022 18:37 IST , New Delhi
Kim Minsu, champion Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Ben Llewellin, with the skeet medals in the World Cup in Changwon on Monday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Olympian Mairaj Ahmad Khan competed hard to win the men’s skeet gold in the shooting World Cup in Changwon, Korea, on Monday.
The 46-year-old Mairaj shot 119 in qualification, and was tied for the last two slots with four others. He won the shoot off along with Niccolo Sodi of Italy, ahead of three-time World Champion and Olympic medallist, Abdullah Alrashidi, among others.
He topped the second stage of the competition among four, before beating Kim Minsu of Korea for the gold 37-36.
It may be recalled that Mairaj had lost the gold in the shoot-off in the World Cup in Rio in 2016, when he won the silver, his last individual medal in a World Cup.
There was another medal for India, as the women’s rifle 3-position team of Anjum Moudgil, Ashi Chouksey and Sift Kaur Samra, won the bronze, behind Germany and Korea, by beating Austria 16-6.
In the men’s 25-metre rapid fire pistol, Vijayveer Sidhu lost the shoot-off 2-4 to Dai Yoshioka of Japan, who went on to win the gold, beating the Tokyo Olympic champion Jean Quiquampoix of France 32-31.
India continued to stay comfortably on top of the medals table with five gold, five silver and three bronze medals. Host Korea was second with three gold, three silver and two bronze, and was followed by Serbia with three gold.
The results:
25m rapid fire pistol: 1. Dai Yosshioka (Jpn) 32 (16) 583; 2. Jean Quiquampoix (Fra) 31 (17) 582; 3. Lee Jaekyoon (Kor) 18 (16) 585; 4. Florian Peter (Ger) 10 (13) 589; Vijayeer Sidhu 16 (584); 12. Anish Bhanwala 582; 30. Sameer 566.
50m rifle 3-position team women: 1. Germany 177 (881) 1324; 2. Korea 11 (880) 1312; 3. India (Anjum Moudgil, Ashi Chouksey, Sift Kaur Samra) 16 (872) 1310; 4. Austria 6 (872) 1309.
Men’s skeet: 1. Mairaj Ahmad Khan 37 (27) 119(12); 2. Kim Minsu (Kor) 36 (27) 120(12); 3. Ben Llewellin (GBR) 26 (26) 121(4); 4. Sven Korte (Ger) 17 (25) 121(3).
Women’s skeet: 1. Lucie Anastassiou (Fra) 34(11) 26 (118); 2. Amber Hill (GBR) 34(10) 29 (120); 3. Chiara Di Marziantonio (Ita) 23 (25) 117(12); 4. Nele Wissmer (Ger) 12 (26) 116(6); 23. Muffaddal Deesawala 108.