Isha Anil Taksale and Himanshu make a thrilling comeback to win 10m air rifle mixed team gold
Beat compatriots Shambhavi S Kshirsagar and Naraen Pranav at the ISSF Junior World Cup
Hyderabad: The penultimate day of the ISSF Junior World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun in Delhi on Tuesday brought high drama as India’s Isha Anil Taksale and Himanshu staged a thrilling comeback to win the 10m air rifle mixed team gold gold against compatriots Shambhavi S Kshirsagar and Naraen Pranav, while Croatia’s 20-year-old Toni Gudelj and Czechia’s Lea Kucerova claimed their nations’ first gold medals of the tournament with impressive victories in the Trap events, here at Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range.
India also added a bronze through Vinay Pratap Singh Chandrawat in the men’s Trap final, ensuring the hosts stayed firmly on top of the medal tally with 23 medals (7 gold, 9 silver, and 7 bronze).
In a gripping all-India gold medal clash in the 10m air rifle mixed team event, the pair of Isha Anil Taksale and Himanshu staged a remarkable comeback to defeat compatriots Shambhavi S Kshirsagar and Naraen Pranav 17–15. Trailing 15–9 at one stage, Isha and Himanshu rallied by winning four consecutive series to seal the gold.
Czechia’s Lea Kucerova clinched the women’s trap junior title with 41 hits, securing her nation’s first medal of the competition. Italy’s Sofia Gori earned silver with 37, while AIN’s Kseniia Samofalova took bronze with 30.
Croatia’s 20-year-old Toni Gudelj delivered a commanding performance in the men’s trap junior final, hitting 44 targets to give his country its first gold medal of the event. Spain’s Isaac Hernandez, who topped qualification with 120 6, settled for silver on 41.
India’s Vinay Pratap Singh Chandrawat claimed bronze with 34, while his teammate Arjun placed fourth on 29. Daniel Fernandez de Vicente (Spain) and Tony Meola (USA) completed the final line-up with 24 and 18 hits, respectively.
In pistol action, the women’s 25m Pistol precision stage saw India’s Tejaswani lead the standings with 288-9x, ahead of Italy’s Alessandra Fait (287-8x) and AIN’s Viktoriia Kholodnaia (286-8x).
In the men’s 25m Pistol, a non-Olympic event, precision stage, India’s Raghav Verma led with 290-4x, closely trailed by teammate Mukesh Nelavalli (289-9x). AIN’s Georgii Tarasov was third on 285-5x. With the rapid-fire stage to be completed tomorrow morning, the cumulative scores will determine the medal winners.
