Chaudhary clinches bronze

Osijek (Croatia), June 24

Saurabh Chaudhary opened India’s account at the ISSF World Cup here with a bronze in the men’s 10m air pistol event after the country’s shooters endured a modest opening day on which podium finishes eluded the likes of Manu Bhaker and Elavenil Valarivan.

The 19-year-old Saurabh scored 220 in the final after qualifying with a score of 581. Compatriot Abhishek Verma finished fifth in the same event with a score of 179.3 after also shooting 581 in the qualifying.

Manu finished seventh in the women’s 10m air pistol event with a score of 137.3 in the final, while Yashaswini Singh Deswal ended eighth with a score of 117.1. Rahi Sarnobat could not make the finals, ending 13th. While Manu had qualified sixth for the final with a score of 577, Yashaswini was a notch above with an effort of 578.

Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar finished seventh in the men’s 10m air rifle final. The 20-year-old, who finished with a score of 628 in qualification, shot 143.9 in the final. Deepak Kumar (626) and Divyansh Singh Panwar (624.7) failed to make the final, ending 14th and 25th, respectively.

The trio of Anjum Moudgil, Apurvi Chandela and Valarivan could not enter the finals of the women’s 10m air rifle event. Apurvi (624.2) finished 24th, while Anjum (622.3) was 42nd. Elavenil (621.2) also copped a two-point penalty for protesting a shot that was correctly scored. The 21-year-old initially scored 623.2 to finish 35th but the penalty meant she slipped to the 55th spot. — PTI