Jitu Rai and Heena Sidhu clinch gold in ISSF World Cup finals

The Indian 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team consisting of Jitu Rai and Heena Sidhu have become the first athletes to win the ISSF (International Shooting Sport Federation) Crystal Globes. They accomplished the feat today at the Jarni Singh Shooting range in New Delhi. The two pistol shooters were up against France and the People’s Republic of China who settled for Silver and Bronze respectively.

 The duo won against odds as it began with a 2.5-point disadvantage from the lead after the first series of five shots. However, Sidhu and Rai gradually closed the gap on France’s Florian Fouquet (24) and Celine Goberville (31) and tied the score at 343.1 after 34 shots. Then they went on building a consistent gap with the following and decisive series.

 Rai and Sidhu won the match with 483.4 points beating the French team who scored 481.1 points.

 “It feels great to win here in front of our people, even if this puts a little extra-pressure on us,” said Sidhu after she won. She added, “There were high expectations on us and a lot of eyes were looking at me and Jitu for this final, that’s why we trained a lot together in the last days.”

“We like this format, it’s a bit longer than the other ones we tried, but we like definitely like it,” added Rai as per the Indian Express.

 While it is a first for Sidhu, Rai has previously won two medals in the ISSF World Cup Stage 1 last year as well.

 China's Yang Wei (32) and Cai Xiaoxue (25) took home the bronze medal with a score of 418.2 points. Chinese Taipei’s 23-year-old Kuo Kuan-Ting and 21-year-old Yu Ai Wen played 38 shots and finished at fourth position with the total points of 373.0. And Pavlo Korostylov (19) and Yulia Korostylova (33) of Ukraine took the fifth position with a score of 333.2points in 34 shots.

Picture Credit: thehindubusinessline.com