Jitu Rai wins silver in ISSF World Cup

BAKU (AZERBAIJAN): 'Pistol King' Jitu Rai pipped three-time Olympic champion Jongoh Jin of Korea to clinch the silver medal at the ISSF Shooting World Cup here today, signalling his intentions ahead of the Rio Games.

Rai shot 199.5 in the finals to bag the silver medal in men's 10m air pistol.

Brazilian Felipe Almeida Wu won the gold medal with a total of 200.0, while Jongoh, who topped the qualification, totalled 178.8 in the elimination round to be content with the bronze.

Rai qualified sixth after he shot 580 with 22xs. The eventual gold medal winner qualified in seventh position.

It was Rai's sixth World Cup medal and second this year after winning one in Bangkok.

Rai is seen as one of India's biggest medal prospects in at the upcoming Rio Olympics.

"I am very happy with the medal and this is sure to give me a confidence boost, coming just before the Olympics," Jitu said after the eight-man final.

Having ended 10th in the 50m Pistol event yesterday, Jitu returned today determined to reach the podium, qualifying for the final in sixth place with a score of 580. His focus on precision was evident, given 22 inner 10s shot in all, which helped him sail through to the finals, despite six others finishing on the same score.

Former world number one and another Rio-bound shooter Heena Sidhu qualified for the finals of women's 25m pistol after finishing fifth in the qualification stage with 582.

She also indicated that her preparations for Rio were on the right track as she reached her first World Cup Final in two years in the women's 25m Pistol event. She eventually finished eighth and became India's fifth finalist of the competition.

Among other Indian performances of the day, Omkar Singh shot 575 to finish 28th in the men's 10m Air Pistol while Gurpreet Singh shot 569 to end 42nd in the same event.

In the women's 10m Air Pistol, Anisa Sayyed shot 572 to finish 32nd and Surabhi Pathak ended 34th with a score of 571.

In men's Double Trap, Ankur Mittal produced the best Indian finish - a score of 137, giving him a ninth place in the qualifying. Sangram Dahiya finished 14th after shooting a score of 135 while Md. Asab shot 134 to end 15th in the same event.

The World Cup in Baku is the last shooting tournament before the Olympics in August.