ISSF World Cup 2025 Buenos Aires: Sift Kaur Samra Clinches India’s First Gold Medal
Buenos Aires/Patiala, 5 April (Sports Desk)
Asian Games champion Sift Kaur Samra secured India’s first gold medal at the ISSF World Cup 2025 in Buenos Aires, triumphing in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions event on Friday. Meanwhile, Chain Singh added a bronze in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions, and Manu Bhaker positioned herself fourth in the women’s 25m pistol precision round with a score of 291.
Sift Kaur Samra’s Golden Triumph
Sift Kaur Samra, a world record holder in the 50m rifle 3 positions, overcame a slow start to claim her maiden individual ISSF World Cup gold. After posting the lowest score of 147.2 in the kneeling round among the eight finalists and reaching 304.1 following the prone stage, she staged a remarkable recovery. Her exceptional performance in the standing and elimination rounds lifted her to a final score of 458.6, earning her the top spot on the podium.
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Germany’s Anita Mangold took silver with 455.3, while Kazakhstan’s Arina Altukhova secured bronze with 445.9. Sift had earlier topped the qualification round with 590, a stark contrast to her 575 at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she failed to advance past the qualifiers. Her previous best in the event was a world record 469.6, set while winning gold at the 2023 Asian Games.
Other Indian shooters in the women’s event included Ashi Chouksey (579, 17th) and Shriyanka Sadangi (572, 22nd), who missed the top-eight cut for the final. Manini Kaushik (582) and Nischal (576) competed for ranking points only (RPO).
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Chain Singh’s Bronze Medal
Earlier in the day, Chain Singh opened India’s medal tally with a bronze in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions, finishing with a score of 443.7. The Rio 2016 Olympian, who also won bronze in this event at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, trailed Hungary’s Istvan Peni (461.0) and China’s Tian Jiaming (458.8), who claimed gold and silver, respectively.
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar narrowly missed the podium, scoring 432.6 for fourth place, while Niraj Kumar finished seventh with 402.5. In the qualification round, Aishwary led the Indian contingent with 589 (second overall), followed by Chain Singh (589, third) and Niraj Kumar (587, sixth).
Manu Bhaker in Contention
Two-time Olympic bronze medallist Manu Bhaker scored 291 in the women’s 25m pistol precision round, placing her fourth heading into Saturday’s rapid round and final. Her performance keeps her in contention for a medal as India’s campaign continues.
India’s Strong Showing
Sift Kaur Samra’s gold and Chain Singh’s bronze mark a promising start for India at the ISSF World Cup 2025 in Buenos Aires, with Manu Bhaker poised to potentially add to the tally. The event highlights India’s growing prowess in shooting sports on the global stage.
