World University shooting c’ship: Aishwary, Sanjeeta win gold in mixed air rifle

Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Sanjeeta Das scripted an incredible climax to usurp the gold medal from the grasp of Koreans, Hyobeen Kim and Junhwan Lee in the mixed air rifle event of the World University shooting championship at the Dr. Karni Singh Range, Tughlakabad, on Wednesday.

Trailing 11-15 with the Koreans on the threshold of victory, Aishwary and Sanjeeta came up with perfect shots of 10.9 each to narrow the gap to 13-15. Sanjeeta was the better of the two, as she shot 10.7 and 10.5 on the next two shots and was ably supported with 10.3 and 10.4 by Aishwary. The duo comfortably fetched four more points for an improbable victory.

For the fans who cheered the team to victory, it was no less than a miracle, as the Indian pair had trailed 2-12 at one stage.

The Koreans withered under pressure, shooting a half point less than the Indians to bring the score to 15-15, And then got beaten by 1.3 points for the gold on the next shot.

The effort helped India wind up with 10 gold, nine silver and seven bronze medals.

It was a particularly satisfying finish for the host, as the refreshing gold came after the other team of Manini Kaushik and Umamahesh Maddineni had been beaten 16-0 in the match for bronze by the Polish team of Julia Piotrowska and Maciej Kowalewicz.

The only other medal for the host on the final day came through the men’s rapid-fire pistol team. Raajwardan Paatil alone made the final among the three Indians and finished fifth.

In mixed skeet, the Indian teams placed sixth and eighth. The Italian team of Giada Longhi and Francesco Bernardini won the gold, beating Cyprus 42-40. The other Italian team of Paolo Micheli and Damiana Paolacci, which had lost the shoot-off against Cyprus and thus the chance to fight for gold, won the bronze by beating Finland 43-41.

Czech Republic was the second-best team on the medals table, with eight gold and a silver. Italy was third with three gold, a silver and four bronze, while Korea followed with two gold, five silver and two bronze. Taiwan, France and Switzerland were the other teams to win at least one gold.