Suruchi Singh clinches third straight individual ISSF World Cup gold

Rising Indian shooting star Suruchi Singh continued her golden run on the international stage, clinching her third straight individual gold medal at the ISSF World Cup with a thrilling performance in the women’s 10m air pistol final on Friday.

The current national champion, Suruchi has now won gold at all three ISSF World Cup stages she has participated in. She began her journey with a stunning debut in Buenos Aires, followed it up with a gold in Lima, and has now completed a rare golden hat-trick in Munich.

The final saw a dramatic exchange of leads. Suruchi overtook China’s Qianxun Yao, who finished with bronze (221.7), and then edged out France’s Camille Jedrzejewski for the gold. A composed 10.5 shot pushed Suruchi ahead, while Jedrzejewski, who settled for silver with 241.7, could only manage a 9.5 at a crucial juncture.

Even a modest 9.5 in her final shot proved sufficient for Suruchi, as Jedrzejewski’s closing effort of 9.8 wasn’t enough to reclaim the top spot.

Her red-hot form dates back to the National Championships in December, and she carried that momentum into the qualification round on Friday, where she matched the national record of 588, held by double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker. Yao topped the 110-shooter qualification field with a junior world record of 589, while Bhaker finished 21st (574), and Palak placed 30th with 570.

Manu Bhaker, who was part of the commentary panel during the final, praised Suruchi’s poise and performance, though she remarked that the young shooter appeared slightly nervous under pressure.

After the match, Suruchi humbly admitted that luck played a part in her victory: "It was the closest among all the finals that I have played (in three World Cups), and I think I was a bit lucky too," she said.

This gold marks India’s first top-podium finish at this edition of the prestigious ISSF World Cup, following the bronze medals won earlier in the week by Elavenil Valarivan and Sift Kaur Samra in rifle events.

In other events, Indian shooters experienced mixed fortunes. In the 25-metre rapid fire pistol, Anish Bhanwala shot 581 and placed 18th. Vijayveer Sidhu and Ankur Goel, however, fell behind, securing the 36th and 37th positions with scores of 572 and 571 respectively.