Doha, Nov 5: Star Indian shooters Manu Bhaker and Suruchi Inder Singh endured a disappointing outing in the women’s 10m air pistol event at the ISSF World Championships here on Thursday, finishing outside the medal positions and missing out on the coveted quota places for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Manu, the double Olympic bronze medallist at the 2024 Paris Games, finished fifth with 179.9 points, while Suruchi, the Asian Games mixed team gold medallist, was sixth with 158.3 as India’s wait for an individual medal and an Olympic quota in the shooting showpiece continued.
China dominated the eight-shooter final, with Jiang Ranxin clinching gold with 242.4 points and compatriot Yao Qianxun taking silver with 242.1. Hungary’s Veronika Major claimed bronze with 222.1. All three medallists secured Olympic quota places, leaving the two Indian stars empty-handed in an event where expectations were high given their credentials.
Manu struggled to find consistency throughout the final, with her scores fluctuating between 8.8 and 10.7. She was eventually eliminated after the 18th shot. Suruchi, too, was let down by a series of poor shots in the 8s and 9s and bowed out after the 16th shot.
There was some consolation for India, though, as Manu (583 in qualification), Suruchi (580) and Sainyam (575) combined to win the team silver medal. India finished with 1,738 points, behind China, who claimed gold with 1,745.
The team standings are decided on the combined qualification scores of the three shooters from each country. However, the medal does not carry an Olympic quota.
Earlier, Manu had bounced back from a modest start in qualification to secure her place in the final. After shooting 95 in each of her first two series, she found her rhythm with scores of 98, 100, 96 and 99 to finish third with 583.
Suruchi also made the eight-shooter final, scraping through in eighth place with 580. The multiple-time World Cup gold medallist maintained a steady run, shooting 97, 95, 96, 97, 97 and 98.
China’s Jiang topped the qualification with 585, while the third Indian in the fray, Sainyam, finished 22nd with 575 (95, 94, 96, 96, 95, 99). Her score, however, proved crucial in India’s team silver-winning effort.
The World Championships are the first major shooting competition offering individual quota places for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. India are yet to win an individual medal or secure a quota place in an Olympic discipline at the championships. (PTI)
