Sonam and Himanshu clinch bronze in 10m air rifle mixed team at ISSF World Cup

Rifle shooters Sonam Uttam Maskar and Himanshu Dhillon added another medal to India’s campaign, clinching the bronze in the 10m air rifle mixed team event at the ISSF World Cup here on Tuesday.

The bronze medal took India’s overall tally at the World Cup to four medals, including 1 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze. Both Indian teams delivered strong performances in the qualification round to advance to the final.  Sonam Uttam Maskar (317.2) and Himanshu Dhillon (317.4) combined for an aggregate qualification score of 634.6.

Meanwhile, the pair of Elavenil Valarivan (316.8) and Parth Rakesh Mane (317.4) qualified right behind them with a total score of 634.2. In the final, Sonam and Himanshu produced a composed performance to combine for 441.2 points (220.6 each), securing the bronze medal behind China 1 and China 2.

Elavenil (190.5) and Parth (188.3) finished fourth with a final score of 378.8.

“It was a tough competition, and the overall experience was very good,” said Sonam, the 23-year-old from Maharashtra, in a release.

“Winning a medal is always important because it gives us confidence for the assignments ahead. Experience matters more than anything, and this performance will motivate us as we prepare for the Asian Games and the World Championships later this season.” Making his first-ever senior ISSF World Cup final appearance, Himanshu said, “It was a great experience competing in my first senior World Cup final. I believed in myself, trusted my coach’s guidance and relied on my strengths. I’ve competed in many junior finals, but winning my first senior World Cup medal makes this achievement very special.”