Jitu Rai Settles for World Cup Silver on Road to Rio

New Delhi, June 25, 2016: Pistol ace Jitu Rai, picked up his second World Cup medal of the year, his seventh in two years, when he won the Silver in the Men’s 10m Air Pistol on day four of the sixth and final International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup (Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun) being held in Baku, Azerbaijan.Shooting alongside his long-time rival in the international shooting circuit, three-time Olympic Champion JongohJin of Korea, Jitu started positively in the finals, staying in Gold medal position till the 8th shot, before a string of four shots in the 9s between the eighth and 12th shots pegged him back. Another upcoming rival, Felipe Almeida Wu of Brazil, who had won a Gold in the event earlier in the year at the Bangkok World Cup, meanwhile was rapidly coming up the standings in eight-man final field and took over the lead from the 12th shot onwards, holding on to win his second Gold of the year. Felipe ended with a score of 200.0 after 20 shots to Jitu’s 199.5. Jongoh took the Bronze, after being eliminated at the end of the 18th shot with a score of 178.8.

Speaking to National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) officials after the event, Jitu Rai said, “I am very happy with the medal and this is sure to give me a confidence boost, coming just before the Olympics.”

Having ended 10th in the 50m Pistol a day earlier, Jitu returned 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.

Heena Sidhu, another Rio bound athlete in the squad, also signaled that her preparations for Rio were on the right track, by reaching her first World Cup Final in two years, in the Women’s 25m Pistol event. She eventually finished eighth, but coming at the last event before the Olympics, this performance will surely give her the much needed confidence boost before the Rio games begin in August. She became India’s fifth finalist of the competition. Earlier in the day, Heena had shot a combined score of 582 to qualify for the finals in fifth place.

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. Anisa Sayyed in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol shot 572 to finish 32nd and Surabhi Pathak ended 34th with a score of 571.

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