Ningbo
Meghana Sajjanar earned her first-ever World Cup medal, winning bronze in the women’s 10m air rifle, as India finished fifth in the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol. This was her first final in eight years, making the achievement even more special.
Meghana shot 230.0 to take bronze behind Norway’s Jeanette Hegg Duestad, who secured silver. The event was ruled by China’s Peng Xinlu, who set a new world record of 255.3, surpassing Wang Zifei’s previous 254.8. Early in qualification, Meghana shot 632.7 to place seventh, while Peng topped the list with 637.4.
The final began with Peng firing a perfect 10.9. Meghana started last but quickly recovered with a strong 52.3 in her second series, climbing to sixth. Over the next 10 shots, she remained consistent, never dropping below 10.2. A vital 10.9 on her 12th shot ensured medal hopes stayed alive. Facing pressure from neutral athlete Mariia Vasileva, Meghana held steady with two 10.4s, sealing her place on the podium.
On Saturday, India had already celebrated gold when Esha Singh triumphed in the women’s 10m air pistol. Overall, China topped the medals tally with three golds, while Norway stood second with two.
India reached another final through Kiran Ankush Jadhav in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions. Despite qualifying fourth with 590, he finished eighth with 406.7 after a poor start. Swapnil Kusale finished 21st, while Babu Singh Panwar scored 583. In women’s rifle, Ramita Jindal managed 629.8 for 22nd, and Kashika Pradhan shot 626.6.
