Hangzhou, July 24 (IANS) Indian shooter Sainyam clinched the silver medal in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol event at the ongoing ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun here on Friday, opening India’s medal account at the competition.

Delivering a composed and consistent performance in the high-stakes final, Sainyam shot a total score of 243.4 to secure her place on the podium.

This marks her second career ISSF World Cup silver medal, further reinforcing her rising consistency on the international shooting circuit.

Sainyam, a former junior world and Asian champion, qualified for the final with a solid score of 579 in the qualification round, maintaining steady precision across her series before stepping onto the final firing line to seal the podium finish.

The 36-member Indian contingent features a blend of experienced Olympians and emerging talent across rifle, pistol, and shotgun disciplines, with athletes set to compete in both individual and mixed-team events.

Joining Manu and Swapnil are established names such as Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Esha Singh, Suruchi, Elavenil Valarivan, Sift Kaur Samra, Sonam Uttam Maskar, Anish Bhanwala, Raiza Dhillon, Ganemat Sekhon and Olympian Anant Jeet Singh Naruka.

In the rifle events, Parth Rakesh Mane, Himanshu Dhillon, Shahu Tushar Mane and Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil will represent India in the men’s 10m Air Rifle, while Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar and Sakshi Sunil Padekar have been selected for the women’s competition. The men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions squad comprises Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Niraj Kumar and Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil, while Ashi Chouksey, Vidarsa K. Vinod and Sift Kaur Samra will compete in the women’s event.

India’s pistol campaign will be spearheaded by Suruchi, Sainyam and Esha Singh in the women’s 10m Air Pistol, with Kedarling B. Uchaganve, Kamaljeet and Aakash Bhardwaj featuring in the men’s event. The women’s 25m pistol team includes Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh and Rahi Sarnobat, while Anish Bhanwala, Omkar Singh and Bhavesh Shekhawat have been named in the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol squad.

In the shotgun events, Udavir Singh Jajee, Bhowneesh Mendiratta and Vivaan Kapoor will compete in the men’s trap, while Pragati Dubey, Kirti Gupta and Rajeshwari Kumari make up the women’s trap team.

The men’s Skeet squad consists of Gurjoat Singh Khangura, Parampal Singh Guron and Abhay Singh Sekhon, while Ganemat Sekhon, Darshna Rathore and Yashasvi Rathore will represent India in the women’s Skeet competition.

India will also field teams in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team, 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team and Trap Mixed Team events.

–IANS

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