ISSF Junior World Cup: Indian shooters' good run continues, bag four more gold medals

New Delhi: Indian shooters continued to dominate the proceedings at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany, winning four more gold medals in the women’s and men’s air rifle and air pistol team events on Friday. India’s tally currently stands at 14 medals, including eight gold and six silver. Australia, France, Poland and Bulgaria have won the other four gold medals on offer. India’s gold rush on Friday began when the men’s 10m air rifle trio of Rudrankksh Patil, Paarth Makhija and Umamahesh Maddineni beat Spain’s Jesus Oviedo, Adrian Diaz and Jorge Estevez 16-8 in the gold medal match. It was a second gold in the competition for both Rudrankksh and Paarth, who had won the individual men’s 10m air rifle and the mixed team rifle competitions earlier respectively. It was then the turn of the junior women’s 10m air pistol team of Manu Bhaker, Palak and Esha Singh who outplayed Georgians Salome Prodiashvili, Mariam Abramishvili and Mariami Prodiashvili by the same 16-8 margin. Then the air rifle women’s team consisting of Arya Borse, Zeena Khitta and Ramita downed the Korean trio of Yeeun AN, Eunji Kwon and Jeongin Jang 17-9 in the title decider to give India the third gold of the day. Finally, the men’s air pistol team of Saurabh Chaudhary, Shiva Narwal and Sarabjot Singh outclassed Uzbekistan’s Mukhammad Kamalov, Veniamin Nikitin and Umidbek Komolbekov 17-9 to clinch India’s fourth gold of the day. India have also reached the gold medal round of the men’s and women’s trap team competitions, assuring themselves of two more silver medals at the very least. Shardul Vihan, Arya Vansh Tyagi and Vivaan Kapoor will clash with the US trio of Patrick Thompson, Ernest Carvahlo and Christian Kutz later in the day for the junior men’s trap team title. Then India’s Preeti Rajak, Sabeera Haris and Bhavya Tripathi will be up against the Italian trio of Marika Patera, Sofia Gori and Sofia Littame in the women’s trap team gold medal contest.