Muskan bags gold at junior shooting World Cup

Muskan clinched the gold in women’s 25m pistol to add to India’s rich medal-haul at the ISSF Junior World Cup.

This was also Muskan's first international medal.

Muskan clinched the gold in women’s 25m pistol as India’s medal-haul went up to 22 at the ISSF Junior World Cup here on Wednesday.

The 16-year-old Indian bested China’s Qin Sihang and Thailand’s Kanyakorn Hirunphoem, who respectively took silver and bronze in the pistol event.

The team gold was won by Muskan, Manu Bhaker and Devanshi Rana, adding to India’s rich medal haul, which includes nine gold medals. India has also five silver and eight bronze medals. Muskan’s medal was India’s fourth individual gold in the prestigious tournament.

Muskan - who finished 4th at last year’s ISSF Junior World Championship in Suhl, Germany -- took the lead at the end of the sixth round when she nailed a perfect 5-hit series and found herself sitting on a three-point advantage over her closest rival, China’s Qin Sihang (16).

Read: Bhaker-Anmol duo wins gold at ISSF Junior World Cup

Muskan successfully defended that lead through the rest of the final, taking gold with 35 hits, while Qin finished with 34 and the silver medal. It’s the first ISSF medal for both the Indian and the Chinese junior shooter.

The bronze medal was awarded to Thailand’s 16-year-old Kanyakorn Hirunphoem, currently ranked 62nd in the world in this event. The Thai shooter - silver medallist in the Air Pistol event four days ago - finished with 26 hits and pocketed her second medal in Sydney.

A second Indian finalist — 16-year-old Manu Bhaker — was placed in 4th position with 18 hits, surviving a shoot-off at the end of the sixth series against Zhu Siying (16) of China. Zhu then took 6th place with 12 hits, while her team-mate Xiao Jiaruixuan (15) was placed 5th with 14 hits, inspite of a two-point penalty given to her for early loading.

The top of the team podium was taken by Bhaker, Muskan and Rana, while their counterparts Gaur, Mahima Turhi Agrawal and Tanu Rawal secured silver. Thailand’s Hirunphoem, Viramon Kidarn and Luxciga Srinitivoravong finished third.

Meanwhile, the Indian trio of Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Ayush Rudraraju and Gurnilal Singh Garcha bagged the team silver in men’s junior skeet with a total of 348.

Naruka finished fifth in the individual skeet final.