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Haryana's Suruchi Singh pulled off a stunning upset by defeating Olympian Manu Bhaker to win the gold medal in the women's 10m air pistol event at the ISSF World Cup 2025 in Lima, Peru. This victory marks a significant milestone in Suruchi's career and signals the arrival of a new shooting star on the international stage.
Manu Bhaker, who has been one of India's most consistent shooters over the years, settled for silver as Suruchi's precision and composure proved decisive on the day. Back home in Haryana, celebrations erupted as the news broke. Suruchi's father, Inder Singh, expressed his elation and pride following her landmark win. "We are happy beyond words. We hope Suruchi wins gold wherever she goes. We hope that the government makes a shooting range since there are multiple shooters in Haryana, more than anywhere in the country and it will give a chance to these shooters to explore their potential," he said. He added, "Suruchi has been practising shooting for 6 years..." Suruchi shot a total of 243.6 in the final. She edged out two-time Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, who secured the silver with a score of 242.3. China's Yao Qianxun, a former junior world champion, took home the bronze after finishing with 219.5. This triumph marks Suruchi's second consecutive gold medal this year. The 18-year-old had shot an impressive 244.6 to win her maiden senior World Cup gold in Buenos Aires just last week. Meanwhile, Manu Bhaker's silver in Lima marks her return to the podium since bagging a double bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympics. She had missed out on a medal in Buenos Aires earlier this month. In the qualification round, Suruchi had finished third with a score of 582, while Manu Bhaker was sixth with 578. Sainyam missed out on the final, placing 15th with a score of 571. India's Surbhi Rao (577) and Simranpreet Kaur Brar (576) finished ninth and 10th respectively, but were ineligible for the medal round as they were competing under the Ranking Points Only (RPO) category. Earlier in the day, Saurabh Chaudhary ended his three-year medal drought in individual events by clinching bronze in the men's 10m air pistol. He shot 219.1 in the final after qualifying in seventh place with a score of 578. China's Hu Kai won the gold with a total of 246.4, while Brazil's Felipe Almeida Wu bagged silver with 241.0. Varun Tomar narrowly missed out on the podium, finishing fourth in the men's final with a score of 198.1. (ANI)
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