ISSF World Cup 2025 Buenos Aires: Suruchi Singh, Vijayveer Sidhu Shine with Pistol Golds; Manu Bhaker Falters
Patiala, 09 April (Sports Desk)
Indian shooters Suruchi Singh and Vijayveer Sidhu claimed gold medals at the ISSF World Cup 2025 in Buenos Aires, while two-time Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker failed to reach the women’s 10m air pistol final. Suruchi dominated the women’s 10m air pistol event, and Vijayveer made history as the first Indian to top the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol podium at an ISSF World Cup.
On Tuesday, Suruchi Singh secured the women’s 10m air pistol gold with a final score of 244.6, marking her first World Cup medal and India’s third gold of the competition. The 18-year-old, who won seven golds at last year’s nationals in New Delhi, outshone China’s Qian Wei (241.9) and two-time Olympic medallist Jiang Ranxin (221.0), who took silver and bronze, respectively. Qian Wei opened the final with a 10.9, but Suruchi, despite a shaky start including an 8.9 on her 10th shot, surged ahead after the 13th shot to clinch victory under pressure. She had topped the qualifiers with 583 – 16x, followed by Jiang (582 – 23x) and Qian Wei (582 – 17x).
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Manu Bhaker, a double medallist from Paris 2024, finished 11th in the 10m air pistol qualifiers with 574 – 17x, missing the final. She also drew a blank in the women’s 25m pistol event earlier, leaving her without an individual medal in Buenos Aires. Her next chance comes in the 10m air pistol mixed team event later this week. Sainyam placed 13th with 572 – 16x.
In the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol, Vijayveer Sidhu edged Italy’s Riccardo Mazzetti, scoring 29 to Mazzetti’s 28, to claim gold. China’s Yuhao Yang took bronze with 23. Vijayveer, an Asian Games medallist, overcame a poor start in the final after qualifying third with 579 – 17x. Gurpreet Singh (575 – 21x) and Anish (570 – 11x) finished 10th and 13th, respectively, missing the medal round.
India’s medal tally rose to six with Tuesday’s triumphs. Earlier, Rudrankksh Patil (men’s 10m air rifle) and Sift Kaur Samra (women’s 50m rifle 3 positions) won golds, Chain Singh earned bronze in the men’s 50m 3P, and Esha Singh secured silver in the women’s 25m pistol. The Buenos Aires event underscores India’s strong start to the ISSF World Cup season.
