HIGHLIGHTS:
- The ISSF World Cup is taking place in Cairo from February 26th to March 8th
- Saurabh Chaudhary won gold in the men’s 10m air pistol event
- Esha Singh earned a silver medal in the women’s 10m air pistol event
Indian shooting prodigy Saurabh Chaudhary won gold in the men’s 10m air pistol event, giving India its first medal of the year at the ISSF World Cup.
Esha Singh earned a silver medal in the women’s 10m air pistol event, giving the country its second medal. Esha’s maiden medal in the India senior colours came after a few years of winning many ISSF medals in the junior ranks.
The ISSF World Cup was first held in 1986 by the International Shooting Sport Federation. The newest round of the ISSF World Cup is taking place in Cairo from February 26th to March 8th.
The World Cup used to be played in a different format
Until last year, shooters had to compete in a qualification stage. The top eight shooters would then participate in a final where they would start from the beginning. They then shot series of five bullets. The finalists would then shoot a two-shot sequence. After each two-shot series, the shooter with the lowest cumulative score would be eliminated, and the winner would be chosen after 24 shots. After the opening five-shot series of four sets in the women’s and men’s 25m pistol events, the finalists would compete in a progressive elimination format.
New Format
After the qualification stage is completed, the top eight shooters are divided into two semi-final groups, each with four participants.
Each of the four athletes would shoot 10 single shots, with points awarded for the highest, second-highest, second-lowest, and lowest scores: 4 for the highest, 3 for the second-highest, 2 for the second-lowest, and 1 for the lowest score. After 10 shots, the shooter with the lowest score would be eliminated, and the other shooters would shoot another five shots before eliminating the shooter with the lowest score.
After that, the top two shooters from each group would compete in a final with a scoring scheme similar to the semi-final. After the bronze medal is awarded, the top two competitors square off in the final, with the first to reach 16 points winning the gold.
Following qualification, the top eight shooters in the 25m pistol events are split into two semi-finals. The shooter with the lowest score is eliminated after four sets of five-shot series. After another five-shot series, the shooter with the lowest score is eliminated. A similar procedure is used in the final until only two shooters remain. After that, they compete in a five-shot series, with the first shooter to reach 16 hits winning.
