Sonam Uttam Maskar, who was competing in her maiden ISSF World Cup, won silver in the women’s 10m air rifle category in Cairo late on Sunday,and Nancy Takes Fourth Place making, it yet another memorable day for the Indian shooting squad.
In the men’s event, Divyansh Singh Panwar had already won gold by setting a world record in the final.
In the eight-woman final, Masker shot 252.1, falling just short of Germany’s Anna Janssen by 0.9. Bronze went to Aneta Stankiewicz of Poland. After three days of action, India has two gold and three silver medals in their collection, solidifying its position atop the World Cup stage this season.
Masker and Nancy, two Indians, qualified for the final round with scores of 632.7 and 633.1, respectively, finishing the 60-shot qualification round in fifth and fourth place.
In contrast, Masker had an early advantage in the 24-shot final after scoring 53.0 for her first five shots in the series.
In an extraordinary final, the scores were so closely spaced that, after ten shots, Nancy, who was ranked ninth at the time, and leader Masker separated by an astonishing 0.8 points.
After the fourteenth shot, Janssen overtook Masker as the leader, even though Masker had made 10.9 on the thirteenth. Janssen’s high tens were paying off.
At one point, it appeared as though India would place two on the podium, but Stankiewicz of Poland defeated Nancy for bronze, and Masker, although having excellent shooting, was unable to overtake the seasoned Janssen.
Additional Indian scores for the day:
Qualification Day 1 Precision Round, Women’s 25-metre pistol
Rhythm Sangwan: ranking 12th with a score of 288
Manu Bhaker: position 16 with a score of 287
Simranpreet Kaur Brar, third place, score of 290
Men’s Air Rifle, 10 metres
Women’s Air Rifle 10 Metre
Arjun Babuta (fourth place, qualification: 630.7)
Tilotttama Sen (29th place qualification: 627.6)
Rudranksh Balasaheb Patil (ranking: 10th with qualification: 629.3)
