Shooting WC: Jitu Rai finishes 32nd in 50m air pistol event

With a score of 551, Jitu Rai failed to qualify for the final of the shooting World Cup in Munich on Saturday.

Jitu Rai had a disappointing run in the 50m air pistol event at the Shooting World Cup in Munich.

World Championship silver medallist Jitu Rai could not be at his best in the 50-metre free pistol and placed 32nd with a score of 551 in the shooting World Cup in Munich on Saturday. He failed to qualify for the final by seven points. It was a setback as Jitu had won the gold in spectacular style in the World Cup held in Delhi this year. He had beaten Amanpreet Singh then. There was a hint about his quality of shooting as Jitu had shot 541 in the elimination series.

While Amanpreeet was 60th with 537, Prakash Nanjappa shot 549. Both had shot better scores in the elimination series earlier.

It was not very encouraging in women’s 25-metre sports pistol either, as Muskan, Rahi Sarnobat and Surabhi Pathak shot an identical score of 572.

In the women’s air rifle on Friday, Meghana Sajjanar did the best among the Indian women with a score of 417.4 that placed her 15th in a field of 122 shooters. World Cup medallist Pooja Ghatkar was 37th and World Cup Final silver medallist and Olympian Apurvi Chandela was below her best as she shot 413.9 for the 54th place.

In the 50-metre rifle prone event, Sushil Ghalay shot 623.1 in the elimination round, and was followed by Sanjeev Rajput (620.6) and Chain Singh (618.0). All three of them made the cut for the qualifying event from an overall field of 120 shooters. In the MQS section, Gagan Narang, who had qualified for the Rio Olympics in this event, shot 622.1 following a series of 104.2, 1033.3, 103.9, 103.2, 102.7, 104.8.

The results:

Men: 50m free pistol: 1. Jin Jongoh (Kor) 230.5 WR (561); 2. Joao Costa (Por) 228.3 (562); 3. Dimitrije Grgic (Srb) 209.0 (564); 32. Jitu Rai 551; 39. Prakash Nanjappa 549; 60. Amanpreet Singh 537. MQS: Om Prakash Mitharval 559; Arun 557.

Women:

10m air rifle: Laura Georgeta Ilie (Rou) 250.2 (420.7); 2. Gabriela Vognarova (Cze) 246.5 (418.4); 3. Sadeghian Armina (Iri) 227.1 (419.4); 15. Meghana Sajjanar 417.4; 37. Pooja Ghatkar 415.6; 54. Apurvi Chandela 413.9. MQS: Vinita Bhardwaj 416.7.

25m sports pistol: 1. Zhang Jinging (Chn) 36 (585); 2. Antoaneta Boneva (Bul) 34 (585); 3. Anna Korakaki (Gre) 26 (587); 41. Muskan 572; 43. Rahi Sarnobat 572; 46. Surabhi Pathak 572. MQS: Annu Raj Singh 568; Chinki Yadav 559.