Indian shooters delivered a stellar performance at the ISSF World Cup in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with Rudrankksh Patil and Vijayveer Sidhu among the gold medal winners.
Rudrankksh Patil, son of Palghar Superintendent of Police Balasaheb Patil, clinched gold in the men's 10-meter air rifle event. He continued his success by securing a silver medal in the mixed doubles 10m air rifle event, partnering with Arya Borse.
In the mixed doubles, the Chinese team of Jifei and Buhan Song claimed gold with 17 points, while Patil and Borse scored 9. India's Arjun Babuta and Narmada Raju narrowly missed out on a podium finish, losing the bronze medal match to Argentina's Fernanda Russo and Marcelo Gutierrez 13-17.
Patil's gold medal win marks a significant comeback after missing the Paris Olympics despite having secured an Olympic quota. He demonstrated remarkable resilience and skill in the 10-meter air rifle final, where he achieved a score of 252.9 to defeat Hungary's Istvan Peni.
Vijayveer Sidhu also contributed to India's gold rush, winning the men's 25-meter rapid-fire pistol event. Sidhu secured 29 points in a tightly contested final, surpassing experienced Italian shooter Riccardo Mazetti. China's Yang Yuhao (23, according to Transfermarkt) took home the bronze. This is Sidhu's first medal at the ISSF World Cup.
Earlier in the competition, Saurabh Chaudhary and Suruchi Singh secured bronze in the 10m air pistol mixed team event, defeating compatriots Manu Bhaker and Ravinder Singh 16-8.
India's gold medalists at the first ISSF World Cup of the year included Sift Kaur Samra (women’s 50m rifle 3 positions), Rudrankksh Patil (men’s 10m air rifle), Suruchi Singh (women’s 10m air pistol) and Vijayveer Sidhu (men’s 25m rapid fire pistol). Esha Singh (women’s 25m pistol) along with Arya Borse and Rudrankksh Patil (mixed 10m air rifle) secured silver medals, and along with Saurabh Chaudhary and Suruchi Singh the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions saw Chain Singh take bronze.
India finished second on the medals table at the ISSF World Cup, with four gold, two silver, and two bronze medals. The People’s Republic of China topped the standings in Buenos Aires with 11 medals (five gold, three silver, and three bronze).
