Asian Championships gold medallist Neeru Dhanda clinched her maiden ISSF World Cup title with a dazzling performance, ending India’s wait for an individual shotgun medal on the global stage this year by winning gold in the women’s trap event in Lonato on Saturday.
This was the biggest achievement of Neeru’s career since winning the Asian Championships gold last year and the ISSF World Cup mixed team bronze earlier this year, and it came on the back of two days of stupendous shooting.
The 26-year-old, who hails from Haryana’s Jind district but represents Madhya Pradesh in national competitions and is the reigning national champion, was in a league of her own. Picking up where she left off on Friday, she shot 27 out of 30 in the eight-shooter final to outclass a world-class field.
Her closest challenger, France’s Carole Cormenier, a former world champion, settled for silver with 25, while Italy’s Erica Sessa claimed the bronze.
Neeru had carried her sublime form into the final after topping the qualification standings.
She began where she had left off on Friday, when she shot a flawless 75 out of 75 in the opening three rounds. She then missed just two targets in the fourth round and another two in the fifth and final round to finish with an impressive 121 out of 125, qualifying for the final as the top-ranked shooter.
The fiercely competitive field saw two shooters finish the qualification with scores of 120, while another five were involved in a shoot-off to determine the remaining placings in the eight-shooter final.
Neeru’s compatriot Manisha Keer narrowly missed out on a place in the final after shooting 117 out of 125 to finish 10th.
Neeru, who will represent India at the Asian Games in Japan later this year, maintained her remarkable consistency in the final, missing just three targets-the second, 13th and 25th shots-to seal a deserved maiden World Cup gold.
The third Indian in the fray, Aashima Ahlawat, finished joint 80th in the 106-shooter field.
India’s men’s trap shooters, meanwhile, endured another disappointing outing, finishing well down the pecking order in their final international competition before the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya in September-October.
Ahvar Rizvi shot 118/125 in qualification to finish joint 40th in a field of 208 shooters, while experienced Kynan Chenai, who is also part of the Asian Games squad, ended joint 71st with a score of 116.
Shapath Bharadwaj had another disappointing day, managing only 113/125, with his lowest score of 21/25 coming in the fifth and final qualification round. Bharadwaj finished joint 106th along with several other shooters.